Falling
by Pamdizzle
Summary: Alta May Jennings is normal. Sick of being just another dull suit, she takes a walk on the extreme side. :D Will love find her on the way? Read and find out. ShannonMooreoc. Rating for language.
1. Chapter 1

As usual, Alta May Jennings looked every bit her name-old and boring. The fact that she was only twenty-five didn't matter. She stared back through dark-rimmed glasses at her reflection dressed in a beige suit, hair pulled into a tight bun. She cursed the soul who invented the "power suit." Deciding not to depress herself any further, she turned away from the bathroom mirror and headed for the door, grabbing her briefcase on the way.

Locking the door, she looked over to see Shannon Moore give her a friendly wave from a few doors down the way. Trying to not blush, she nodded back before turning and practically fleeing in the other direction. Never mind the fact that he was headed to the same location as she. However, on her quest of evasion, she couldn't help but to let her mind wander. _I wonder what kind of girl he goes for…probably the type with big breasts and small brains…just like the rest of them._

Shaking her head, she cast the renegade thought aside. Why should she care what he went for? She didn't even know him, really. He may as well just be another slave to the company, just like everyone else. Just like her; A slave to conformity…to boring…to lame. Perhaps his slavery wasn't as deep seeded as hers-she was willing to bet he at least knew how to have fun every now and then, which is more than she could boast. True to her appearance and name, Alta May Jennings was a stiff-pale and boring in a world of color and music.

As she reached the entrance to the hotel's conference room, she noticed two things: 1) she was very close to being late, and 2) she had forgotten her notes. _Shit._ For a brief moment, she thought about running back to get them, but she knew she'd never make it. Glancing at the clock on the far wall, she immediately dashed away all remaining hope that this might not turn into the huge disaster she anticipated. She was going to have to do her presentation based on memory. Not good. With a shaky hand, she opened the door and prepared to meet her fate.

"Ah, Ms. Jennings, you finally decided to join us," Shane McMahon half-smiled as she made her way to her empty seat. Turning to the ECW brand team and wrestlers he then said, "I'd like to introduce everyone here to our new ECW Live Event Marketing Representative. She'll be working to make sure we do all we can to keep our fan attendance up while we're on the road. With that said, I'd like to turn the spotlight over to her and let her introduce herself. Ms. Jennings?"

"Hi," she said, standing with legs of jell-o, "I'm just going to talk really quick about our ratings-"

"Ms. Jennings," Rob Van Dam's voice came out from the left, "do you go by something a bit less prudish?"

"Hmm…" she cleared her throat, "excuse me?" She hoped she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

"I think what he means is," another voice, this time from one of the writers, spoke, "we're all on a first-name basis here…"

"Oh!" she relaxed a little, "Right…Um…May. You can call me May."

Another voice called out from what seemed like a crowd of a thousand people, "May? What's May got to do with anything? It's September!" A comment to which everyone seemed to find very humorous.

"Hey now," Shane finally cut in, "That's enough of that. Ms. Jennings-May-has a job to do and you'd all do well to let her get on with it. It's getting late and I haven't had dinner yet." He then turned to May, "Don't worry about them; they're just trying to get you frazzled."

"R-right," she stuttered. "Um…like I was saying, there are just a few things I wanted to go over with all of you concerning new endorsement laws and practices as well as inter-brand promotion." Taking a steadying breath she began her lecture on the new laws, basically enforced for the rights of the wrestlers and how the new promotions would be taking place. Besides having forgotten her notes, she thought she did fairly well. She managed to keep everyone awake, except for one: Shannon Moore. _How rude,_ she thought. Granted the topic was lame, but how could one fall asleep, especially when it concerned ones job? _Am I really that boring?_

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May flipped off the television and glanced at the clock: 1:33 am. It had been late when she finally made it back to her room the other night too. The meeting had ended at 8:30 pm, but a few of her fellow promotion colleagues wanted to discuss future business remedies over dinner. By the time they were done it was already ten-forty. She hadn't been able to sleep then, either. Tonight was no different.

Her day had been spent doing the usual. She woke up, she ate breakfast, looked over prospective advertisements, had lunch, made calls, had dinner, and now here she was. One-thirty in the morning, and she was no closer to sleep now than she was the night of the meeting. She just felt so restless. Work was going great, but that fact did nothing to shake the funk she had fallen into. She kept feeling like she needed to do something-anything. Anything but "the usual," the expected, the same damn thing over and over again. She wanted to feel exciting, worthwhile. Hell, she wanted to let loose and have fun!

_But how?_ She wondered. Pushing herself off the couch, she made her way to window and gazed out on the Carolina shoreline. May wished she could be free like the ocean-flowing, strong, and beautiful. _I want to be like that…I want to be part of that. _Sighing she turned away, and then stopped. _Why the Hell not?_ Without giving any thought to what she was about to do, her own safety, or the fact that it was almost two in the morning and likely freezing outside, May left her room and fled to the nearby sands.

She had never felt such exhilaration in her life. The sand was soft and warm on her feet as she came closer to the hypnotic crashing and churning that was the ocean. She felt her insignificance as she stared out at the vastness of it. Cool water came into contact with her toes, sending tiny goose bumps all over her flesh. The water was probably freezing, but not enough so to deter her from her mission. _I'll likely have hypothermia by the morning…_but it was only a fleeting thought as she stripped off her night shirt and slowly waded in. Not too far, but far enough to submerse herself from the waist down.

_Amazing…I never would have thought-_May was shaken from her musings when she felt something come into contact with her bare skin. Before she was able to assess her surroundings, she came charging from the water, screaming like a banshee. "Help, somebody help, oh God!" All knowledge of her nakedness was completely forgotten, and at the sound of someone approaching she thanked her lucky stars.

"Hello! Miss!" the voice said as it came closer.

May was about to call out when she suddenly remembered her current state. _Oh my gosh!_ _What am I gonna do? I'm naked. Where's my robe? Oh no._ Frantically, her eyes darted around in the darkness. The voice, which belonged to a man, kept beckoning to her.

"Mam? Are you alright? I heard you scre-"

"I'm fine. I just…um…thought I saw something. But I didn't and I'm fine now…so…um…please go away now," she said shakily, frantically digging a whole in the sand for which to hide.

Shannon stopped dead in his tracks, "Ms. Jennings? Is-is that you?"

"What? Wh-Who's there?" May asked as she began to dig faster. _Please just go away, whoever you are…_

"It's Shannon…Shannon Moore with ECW," Shannon squinted to see if he could locate her, "If there's someone bothering you-"

"No! There's no one bothering me," _except you, _"I was just startled that's all."

Shannon wasn't buying it. Too many times he had heard about women getting mugged or raped on the beach at night. Just what the hell was she doing out here all alone anyway? "Still, why don't I walk you back to your room? You shouldn't be out here alone. It isn't safe." Something moving caught his eye and he began to walk forward. "Look, I know it's none of my business and all but I really just don't think you outta-"

May looked up from the sand at a very startled, shocked, and confused Shannon Moore. There she was, covered in sand, and to no avail. "Why didn't you just go back! I am so embarrassed!"

"I-" Shannon stuttered, trying to keep himself from looking, but look he did and he was sorry for it when his gaze met her shame-filled eyes, "I'm sorry. I had no idea. You screamed and I thought someone was in trouble. Why did you scream if you weren't in trouble?" _She's gorgeous under all that prim and proper shit._ He cursed himself for being so insensitive to what was obviously not a good time to be checking her out.

May could feel the sting of tears coming to her eyes, but she would not let herself do it. She couldn't completely lose her composure. She had to get out of here with some sense of her pride in tact. "Why did you have to play hero? I screamed for divine intervention, not you!"

"My mistake," he admitted, "listen…" He looked around nervously, clearly liking the situation less and less every moment. "Do you maybe have some clothes lying around here somewhere-never mind," he shook his head as he pulled his shirt off. "Use this," he said in offering.

With shaky hands, May took the shirt he offered to her and quickly pulled it on. It covered her all the way down to her knees, and it never felt so good to be clothed. Teeth chattering she drew her arms about herself, "Th-thank you. I have to get b-back now. I'm s-sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay. Here, let me walk you," he said, full of relief that she was no longer standing in front of him in the buff. A man can only endure so much. "It's not safe on any beach at night; I don't care how fancy the hotel is."

"That's alright. I don't-"

"Don't even think about it. You're only a couple doors down from me, and I'm not taking no for an answer," Shannon insisted.

Begrudgingly, May followed alongside him, the sand no longer a comforting presence to her feet.

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This is my first start at another story in about three years. I hope it's to your liking. I've been on the shelf for a very, very long time with a severe case of writer's block. Tell me what you think. I love reviews. Please forgive the typos. I'm in a rush.

-Pammi


	2. Chapter 2

May fidgeted nervously with her newly acquired shirt. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before he asked the question. It was hanging between them like air. She could sense his curiosity and she knew…she knew he would want to know. Why had she been out here at this hour…naked…alone? Why had she screamed? Ugh…why had she? What had been in the water with her? A fish, maybe? _Well, gee…I wonder what a fish was doing in the ocean. _She mentally mocked herself.

Begrudgingly she risked a look in Shannon's direction, _why him?_ It could have been anyone, but no…it had to be someone she worked with. Someone she would have to see again. Then, with a biting fear, she wondered, _what if it **had** been a stranger--a mugger…a rapist? What then? _She glanced at him again, this time thankful that it _had_ been him. Thankful for the shirt that now covered her freezing skin. Yet, most of all, May was grateful for the distance between them.

No longer able to deal with the silence, she spoke up with what remaining dignity she had, "G-go ahead…ask it."

Shannon looked her in the eye, and saw her embarrassment like a big, red truck, "I wasn't going to." He lied.

May let out a sigh. Good. If he didn't ask, then she didn't have to explain. However, her hopes of never having to tell anyone, ever, were dashed immediately when she heard him speak again.

"But since you're volunteering…" he couldn't help it. He had to ask. Besides, she owed it to him, didn't she? He let her borrow his shirt, after all. He was walking her back to her room, wasn't he? Kicking himself for what he was about do, he asked despite it all, "What exactly _were_ you doing out there all alone at this hour...naked?"

"I-uh-" What could she possibly say? Surely there had to be some sort of lie she could tell him that would explain everything-what she was doing, why she did it. Why had she done it? So her life wasn't all that exciting…was that any reason for her to go skinny-dipping at two in the morning? It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it just seemed like a conscious attempt to catch pneumonia or get violated. She spied Shannon's expression from the corner of her eye. He was still waiting for an explanation, and she decided to give him the truth…or…most of it, anyway, "I was…swimming."

"Skinny-dipping," he corrected, "alone? At two in the morning?"

So much for only _most_ of the truth, "Well, I-"

"Why did you scream?" He interrupted her reply as he came to a stop a few feet from the hotel.

"S-something…was in the water," she managed. "A fish, I think."

"_Really_? A _fish_?" He tried to keep from being sarcastic, but he couldn't do it, "What the hell is a _fish_ doing in the ocean?"

Allowing herself the warmth of anger, May closed the distance between them, "_Look,_" she hissed, "I've had a shitty day, one among the many of my life, and I don't need _you_ to tell me how foolish it is to run around naked on the beach or how stupid I should feel. Believe me, I know." She saw his smile fade, and sympathy replace it. She suddenly felt like the biggest asshole in the entire world. He came to her rescue, tried to lighten the mood, and she repays him by going off on him? "I'm sorry, I-" she could feel tears stinging the back her eyes.

Shannon didn't know what else to do except grab her and give her a hug. She looked like she needed a friend, "Don't be sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

May couldn't keep the tears of shame at bay. She had needed this hug, and his kindness got to her, "No…you have a right to be curious. It's not everyday you find a co-worker running around in the buff at two in the morning. I'm so embarrassed."

He smiled into her hair, "Don't be, I'm sure you didn't plan on getting caught."

May managed a small laugh as she wiped her tears and forced herself to push away. The last thing she needed right now was to have a crush on 'The Reject.' "I definitely didn't intend for that to happen. I just…" she turned away, looking back at the sea, "I don't know. I was staring out my window at it, and I just…I wanted to be there, you know?"

"You don't have to explain that to me," he said, nudging her toward the hotel, "I'm from North Carolina. I _have_ to jump in the water every time I see the ocean. I guessed you just surprised me, that's all. I didn't take you for the skinny-dipping type."

"I'm **_not_** the skinny-dipping type," she admitted as they reached her door, "I think that was part of the reason I did such a stupid thing."

"Don't feel bad," he smiled, "I do stupid stuff all the time, but never alone. You gotta have someone there to call the paramedics."

May laughed as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. She turned around to bid him goodnight, "I'll give this back to you next time I see you," she said, tugging at her shirt.

"Fair enough, Ms. Jennings," Shannon couldn't remember her first name. A person should know the name of someone they've seen naked, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. He had been sleeping in the back corner through much of the meeting where she had been introduced to everyone for the first time, and he had been so tired that day, he couldn't remember her name.

"It's Alt-I mean, May," she said with a lurch in her stomach. She hated her first name. _Alta_. What the hell had her mother been thinking?

"What's that?" Shannon asked, "Al May?"

"Alta May…" she corrected, chagrined. "My full name is Alta May Jennings, but I mostly go by May."

"Why go by May? I haven't met a lot of people named Alta," he grinned. "It's unique. Unique is good."

May felt heat rising within her from somewhere best left forgotten and decided now would be a good time to end the conversation, "Well, I gotta get the sand out of my ass, so um…I'll see you later." _Where did that come from?_

Smiling at her forwardness, Shannon nodded, "I'll see you around…Alta May."

Blushing at the sound of her name on his lips, May said goodnight before shutting her door and fleeing to the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the door and sat down on the toilet seat. She was shivering, but it didn't have anything to do with being cold. Shannon Moore was definitely _not_ what she had expected. There was a depth there that she couldn't quite understand. He wasn't just another dumb guy. This is why she decided, from then on, that it would be best to avoid him at all cost.

She had been down that road too many times. May had felt an immediate reaction to him when he hugged her…when he said her name. He was being kind to spare her any further humiliation, and she had definitely needed kindness. His words came back to her now, _'It's unique. Unique is good.'_ May didn't think there was anything unique about her. She was dull, boring-a prude. Yet, she had felt completely outside herself tonight. There was still sand all over her body from _skinny-dipping, _for crying out loud!

She sneezed suddenly, and knew she was going to be sick-a consequence of her recklessness. Turning on the water to the warmest setting she could stand, May pulled off the borrowed shirt that read, 'E-C-F-N-W' and made a decision. Consequences be damned, she was tired of being boring. From this day forward, she was going to try new things-sky diving, bungee jumping, flying lessons, snow boarding. One new adventure every month.

By the time she got out of the shower and into bed, she could feel herself sinking more steadily into her resolution. Tomorrow she would research and plan some new and exciting experiences for the future. As she crept closer to sleep, however, her last thought was not of her plans to be more daring, but rather, the sound of her name spoken in a Carolina accent.

xxxxMeanwhilexxxx

Shannon spotted what he had been looking for on the beach for over half an hour. Slightly covered in sand was a white terry-cloth robe. Bunching it up in his fist, he made his way toward the owner's door and thought twice about knocking. He decided, instead, to just leave it at the doorstep. She would be up early enough to find them before anyone else did, he was sure. Especially if she had to fly back to headquarters with the rest of the Suits (another word for a business person/professional).

_Hmm…_She seemed different from the rest of WWE's office employees. She definitely dressed like a stiff, but she hadn't been acting like one tonight. Suits usually don't go skinny dipping and they definitely don't have bodies like hers. The darkness had made it hard to see her earlier, but not impossible. A mental picture of her standing before him with long dark hair, skin smeared with sand, her hair dripping wet, and a look of total shock on her face, was forever burned into his brain. He didn't mind.

Looking once more at her door, he forced himself to walk the twenty feet down to his own room. He didn't need any distractions right now. Women troubles, especially. He had another chance to prove himself in ECW. He wasn't going to let anything come between him and his goal…his dream. He didn't care how bad he may want it; wrestling was what he lived for.

The phone was ringing when he opened the door. Shannon knew exactly who it was, "Hey, Jeff."

"So much for the element of surprise. How's life?"

"Not too bad, a little odd at times, but not bad. When are ya'll getting there?" Shannon kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Tomorrow, you?" Jeff could sense something was a little off with his friend.

"Tomorrow," Shannon sighed.

"Are you alright, man? You're not still down about your debut, are you?" Jeff thought Shannon should have got the push, but he was biased for his friend. Shannon was always being overlooked. It pissed Jeff off.

"Nah, that's how it goes sometimes. I was just trying to decide whether or not I should tell you what happened to me tonight."

"Oh, yah?" Jeff raised a curios brow as he sat down on the end of his own bed, "What happened?"

"I met a girl," he couldn't resist the urge to bait his friend. It was fun.

Jeff's interest peaked, "Who is she? Do we know her?"

"No, I don't think so," Shannon grinned, "She's a sort of beach bunny.

"Beach bunny?" Jeff repeated it, thinking maybe it would make more sense to him if he did so. He was wrong, "What?"

"I said sort of," Shannon chuckled. "She actually works for Vince. She's some kind of Suit. I'd know more about her if I hadn't fallen asleep at that meeting the other day."

"Man, you're as bad as me," Jeff laughed, "I frigging hate meetings. Forget her, Shannon. She's probably boring."

"You'd think so, looking at her during the day," Shannon yawned, "but just get her on the beach at night and-"

"On the first date, dude? What would you're mother say?" Jeff teased.

Shannon sat up with a grin, "It wasn't anything like that. I don't even know how to explain it."

"You could just start at the beach bunny part, if you want to," Jeff said, looking at the clock, "but make it quick. I've got to get some sleep."

Shannon told Jeff everything that happened from the scream he had heard while he was sitting on the shore, to the clothes he left at May's doorstep. "You like her, don't you?" Jeff commented more than inquired.

"I don't even know her," Shannon said in his defense.

"So? You know her enough-"

"Look, the last thing I need right now is a distraction like May. Besides, she seemed pretty eager to get away from me, so I'm pretty sure she's thinking something along the same lines."

"Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow," Jeff smirked, "Maybe I'll even get to meet your new lady-friend." With that, Jeff hung up, leaving Shannon quite annoyed.

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I hope you guys like it so far. Please review. :D This is the first time I've written something in so long.

By the way, I forgot the disclaimer, so here it is: I'm just writing a story, I don't own anything except the story. Peace.

-Pammi


	3. Chapter 3

May awoke the next morning to the sound of her cell phone. She looked at the clock on her nightstand: 7:20 am. _Oh no…not this weekend. _She flipped open her phone groggily, "Hello?"

"May?"

She didn't immediately recognize the voice on the other end. "Yes. Who is this?" She asked with a yawn.

"It's Shane McMahon."

"Oh!" She mentally slapped herself as she sprung to her feet, "Sorry, sir, I-"

"Don't worry about it. It's seven in the damned morning. I'm just glad I caught you before you headed to the airport." Shane hadn't been awake long himself. He'd only gotten the call an hour ago. "We're going to need you in Pine Bluff Arkansas on Saturday."

"Oh…" she said half-heartedly. She had made plans to go to the lake this weekend. "Okay."

"Sorry it's so short notice, May, but Jack broke his leg last night, so he's going to be homebound for a little while. Mike starts vacation this weekend, Sharon's on maternity leave, and Jake's-"

"It's no problem. I'll be there. Could you email me whatever it is Jack had planned for the week? Oh, and what time should I be at the arena and are there going to be any meetings I need to be prepared for?"

Shane smiled on his end, impressed with her initiative, "I'll email you Jack's itinerary. Just be at the arena by four-thirty Saturday evening. There won't be any meetings other than the usual pre-show staff."

"Okay, right. Well, I'll be there," May sighed as they hung up; So much for fishing with her niece and nephew. Janette would be pissed, but she'd have to get over it. _This is my job now._

Throwing herself before the computer, she logged onto to Orbitz, changed her flight and charged it to the company card. At least this business came with some perks. The only thing that really sucked was the hours. Granted today was her day off, it would likely be the last one for awhile with so many in her department out.

May checked her email next, and opened up the message entitled, 'Itinerary,' then printed it. She then stuffed the papers into her briefcase to save them for the flight. Today was, after all, her day off. She could look over her work assignments on the plane. She didn't know what she was going to do before her flight today, but she planned to do _something_. Just so long as it didn't involve skinny-dipping.

At that thought, memories from the previous night flooded her mind. She noticed for the first time that morning, the sand trail that led from the door to the bathroom and shuttered with dread. She would have to face him again. Soon. This weekend. _Well, this weekend isn't today._ She would prepare for that when the time came. In the meantime-

A knock at the door sounded through her hotel room. May looked around for the robe she had left on the beach and rolled her eyes at herself. There were bound to be some curious people on the beach that day when they saw an abandoned robe, especially if they found her pair of orange panties in the pocket.

Another knock came from the door, to which May responded this time as she gathered her blankets around her form, "I'm coming. Just a sec!" It had better be a maid. She needed some more towels. Making her way to the door, she didn't bother to look through the peep hole before swinging the door open, and immediately slamming it shut again. It was him! _What does he want? Maybe he's here for his shirt!_

Shannon stared dumbfounded at the green door before him. Whatever reactions he had expected from her, that had not been one of them. Hell, he didn't know why he was even here. Didn't he tell himself last night, that he was just going to forget the whole thing? He began to replace the robe he had been intending to use as an excuse to see her, and decided it would be best to just forget about it all…again. Before he could do so, however, the door opened again, and this time something came flying out, landing over his head and covering his face.

Shannon pulled the object off. His shirt, covered in sand. He couldn't help but laugh at the whole scenario. "Jesus…" Deciding to end this foolishness, he knocked again, "May"-

"You've got your shirt, now go away!" she yelled, before falling flat on her face. "Ow!"

Shannon heard something crash on the other side and shook his head. "I'm coming in," he said before opening the door to find May lying in a heap of blankets beside the night stand. There was a tell-tale phone cord lying beneath her foot and broken lamp just a few inches away.

"Get out," she demanded, her voice muffled slightly by the blankets. She kept her head turned. She didn't dare look up. Her encounters with this man were only getting worse.

Shannon made his way over to the heap of blankets that was Alta May Jennings, crouching just before her turned head, "Hey," he tapped the blankets, "I thought we were past the whole embarrassment thing."

"Yes," she agreed, finally lifting her head to look at him, "we left that stage of this relationship and flew straight ahead at warp speed into mortification." Sighing she asked, "What do you want?"

Shrugging, Shannon fought to remember the reason he had come by this morning. Oh yah, there wasn't one. Undecided he began, "I just wanted to-" he cut himself off when he noticed something red leaking from May's foot. Leaning closer he observed out loud, "You're bleeding."

May looked at the foot in question and felt the pain of the cut for the first time. She looked back at him as she lifted her foot with a wince, "I must seem like a train wreck to you." She managed to seat her blanket-entangled self sturdily on her bed to get a closer look.

"Weird how it doesn't hurt until you notice it for the first time, huh?" Shannon said as he searched for a towel. Not finding what he was looking for, Shannon took off his hat and tossed it on the sink counter. He then removed his bandana and dampened it with warm water.

May managed to locate the source of her agony-a piece of glass from the shattered lamp-and was in the process of extracting it when Shannon sat beside her and took a gentle hold on her foot. Removing the shard with expert ease, Shannon placed the warm bandana over her foot and pressed firmly. His touch sent the hairs on the back of her neck into a full stance of attention. There was flutter in her stomach, and she pretended not to notice the effect he had on her.

The sound of his voice stirred her back to reality, "What?" she asked.

"I said," he smiled, "hold this here while I look for some band-aids."

Doing as he told her, she remembered she'd seen a first aid kit in one of the drawers, "Look in that middle drawer by the sink. I think I saw some stuff in there." She hoped he hadn't noticed her staring, for she was certain she had been.

She'd been awake for scarcely an hour now, and already the day had been too much. She got called in on a weekend that she actually had plans for, the very person she was trying to avoid was now tending to her foot, which she had cut whilst tripping over a phone cord and knocking over a lamp she'd have to replace. This entire mess could likely have been avoided, no less, if she hadn't reacted like such a fool while trying to avoid Shannon in the first place. All in all, it had to be his fault. She had to get rid of him. "Look, this isn't necessary. I can take care of myself. Really."

Shannon returned with a bottle of alcohol, cotton swabs, Neosporin, and a huge band-aid that looked like a mini kneepad. "That may be true, but you've yet to prove it to me," he teased.

May turned a foul look on him that was easy enough to read, but it quickly changed to one of dread when she noticed the large bottle of alcohol and what he intended to do with it, "Is that really necessary?" she asked, nodding toward the rubbing alcohol.

"You don't want that to get infected, do you? Who knows what's touched that lamp before a piece of it found its way into your foot, and my bandana definitely isn't the most sterile bandage-"

"Well, why not just use the Neosporin? It is antibacterial, isn't it?" she argued.

"No," he said, taking her foot, "now quit trying to stall."

"Fine," she said defiantly, "just do it quickly." May had detested rubbing alcohol since the first time she scraped her knee as a child. Who didn't? It stung like hell _every time_.

Kneeling on the floor, beside where May sat on the bed, Shannon took care to remove the bandana, tossing it aside. "I guess that's ruined, huh?" May gestured toward the blood-spotted bandana.

"You kidding?" he guffawed, "It's even more bad-ass now. It's got blood on it! That's hardcore. I could tell people I got in fight or something."

"Pssh," May laughed before shifting a bit at the closeness of the alcohol-drenched cotton ball. "I hate this part."

"Yah, me too," he agreed. "Just don't kick me in the head. Ready?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly, "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

With that, Shannon quickly, but carefully cleaned the gash. It was pretty decent in size, which meant more alcohol, but he was careful to blow on the wound as he applied it to alleviate some of the stinging. This action sent heat straight from May's heel to her legs, to her neck and finally her face. Finally, he placed the large, Neosporin-ed band-aid on her foot, "There, all better."

May looked away as he stood, feeling that the room was entirely too stuffy. She cleared her throat, "Yah, except I have to walk on it now."

He chuckled slightly, "Walking will definitely suck for a while," he agreed as he scooped up his bandana and placed his hat back on his head. "I could always carry you. If there's one thing a wrestler is good for, it's piggy-back rides."

May laughed, "I can't let you do that. I'm trying to avoid you, don't you get it?"

"Really?" he mocked his heart breaking, and smiled, "You're off to a pretty bad start then, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't have been, if you hadn't come knocking this morning," she pointed out. "Which reminds me, why are you here, anyway?"

"I came to return your robe to you," Shannon said as he walked over and picked up the garment that he had completely forgotten about until now.

"Where did you-"

"I spotted it on the way back last night when we were walking. I went back and got it after I left. I figured there'd be some pretty curious people if I didn't. So why not save them the agony of answers they'd never find?" he explained. Or at least, he hoped that was a sufficient enough explanation.

She smiled slightly at what she considered to be an extremely sweet gesture. A somewhat awkward moment passed between them before Shannon finally spoke again, "So…you heading back to HQ today?"

"Hmm?" she snapped to attention, "No. Actually, Shane called me this morning and told me I needed to catch a flight to Arkansas and be at the ECW show on Saturday in Pine Bluff. One of our guys broke his leg and now I'm filling in for a little bit."

"Oh," he said, wondering why he felt happy about that information as he made his way to the door, "I guess I'll be seeing you there then."

"Yah," she said, limping behind him to the door, still wrapped in her blanket. "See you there."

He opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight, turning to face her once more, "Take care of that foot."

"Thank you," she smiled nervously, "I'll do that." She could feel herself not wanting him to leave, and she didn't know why. She'd obviously been lonely for too long. There was a brief pause as they looked at one another across the door frame, and then, before May could stop herself, "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" she blurted. _What the HELL am I doing?_

"No," he said after a minute, arching a brow, "I haven't. You?"

She pursed her lips and looked away, mortified at her bluntness, "mmm-mmm" she shook her head. There was another pause. Apparently he was waiting for her to invite him. Good. She'd just pretend she hadn't said anything and say goodbye, "Well, I guess I'll just get packing. I've got to-"

"Weren't you going to ask me if I wanted to get breakfast with you?"

Clearly still questioning her own motives, she finally spoke, "Yes…No…I-" _Can't he see that it was a mistake. I was just thinking out loud. I didn't mean it. Did I?_

"You know," he drawled, closing a bit of the distance between them by leaning against the side of the doorway opposite her, "I think I saw a Denny's down the road on my way into town the other night. It's on the way to the airport, if you wanna grab something there with me."

May blushed as she looked toward the highway. With a knot the size of Texas firmly instated in her stomach, she nodded, careful not to look him in the eye. "Okay then. How 'bout I come back in about forty-five minutes, and we'll go get some breakfast?" Shannon moved his head into her line of sight, forcing her to make eye contact. Biting her lip, she gave a nervous nod of agreement. He smiled, "Alright. I'll see you then, Alta May." With that, he turned away and began walking toward his room, his heart pounding in his chest. He was relieved that she had said yes. _Why? What am I doing?_

Little did he know, May was asking herself the exact same question as she slid back into her room. Why had she brought up breakfast? Why hadn't she wanted him to leave, especially when she was supposed to be trying to avoid him? _What am I doing?_ She wondered as she made her way to pick up the pieces of the broken lamp. _He saw me naked!_

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Well, that's it for now. I updated my profile if you care. It might answer a few questions some of you may have about Skin Deep and where I've been for the past few years.

Hope all of you are enjoying the story. Please review.

-Pammi


	4. Chapter 4

May fidgeted nervously from the passenger side of the car. She looked out the window as the other cars flew by. _He drives like a maniac!_ Deciding that looking down was less frightening than looking up; she focused her complete attention on her feet, still fidgeting with the hem of her old school WWF logo shirt. She had opted to go with comfort, dawning jeans, tennis shoes, and a loose braid rather than the usual uptight slacks and bun, which had recently become the norm.

"Is my driving that bad?" Shannon broke the silence as they pulled into a parking space at Denny's. "You're white as a ghost."

May looked up to meet a pair of curious green eyes. The camo pants and black shirt he wore did well to bring them out. She shook the thoughts from her mind, "It's pretty…uh…_extreme_ I guess." It was her attempt at some really lame humor.

Shannon smirked and shook his head, "You've gotta work on that," he said before climbing out of the car.

May didn't wait for him to come around and let her out, if that had been his intention. Men only did that on dates, and she refused to believe that this was anything close to that. "Work on what?" she asked, shutting her door.

Without thinking about it, nonchalantly, Shannon gently reached for her elbow as a means for escort. It hadn't been intentional, and she obviously hadn't been expecting it, for she quickly stole it away and wrapped her arms around her waist. May wasn't accustomed to being touched. Her family wasn't the hugging kind. "You gotta work on loosening up a bit. I didn't mean anything by that," Shannon regarded her sincerely.

She let out a heavy sigh and risked a glance at him as they reached the entrance, "I know you didn't, I just-" she tried to find the best way to word it, "I'm not used to being around other people," she gestured at Shannon and herself, "like this."

"You never go out with friends?" he asked, baffled at the suggestion. He had spent his entire youth hanging out Matt and Jeff. They had done some really stupid things and had their disputes, but they had always been close. They were scarcely seen without one another.

A waitress was headed in their direction as May began to explain, "I-"

"Hi, how are you doing today?" A really perky brunette with hazel eyes asked, "Smoking or non?"

"Non," May and Shannon said in unison. Shannon smiled, "I see we have at least one thing in common." He joked.

_That may actually be the only thing we have in common_, May thought to herself as she and Shannon followed the waitress to a table in the back, where Shannon had requested they sit.

"Can I bring you anything to drink?" the waitress, who's name was Susie, asked.

"I'll have milk," May smiled before turning her attention to the menu.

"Orange juice for me, Susie," Shannon said with a wink and a smile, taking notice to the way May rolled her at him while 'studying' her menu. "What?" he asked after Susie had left to fetch the beverages.

"You're shameless," she continued looking down.

"Yah, well you're not shameless enough," he fired back with a challenging grin.

May took the bait, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like; do you ever have any _shameless_ fun?" Shannon pressed.

"I have fun on the beach," she risked bringing it up.

Shannon shook his head in disbelief, "Yah, because you're death curdling scream sure sounded like a joyous proclamation."

She bit back her embarrassment, "For your information that was just one of the many new adventures I've planned for myself."

"So you _plan_ to have fun?" he allowed his disbelief to show through.

"As a matter of fact-"

"Okay, milk for you," Susie magically re-appeared with the drinks, placing them on the table "and orange juice for you. Are you ready to order?" Apparently Susie didn't recognize the tension.

"I'll have whatever she has," Shannon passed the duty onto May. Neither of them had really been looking at the menu.

May, annoyed with Shannon, wanted to make him suffer. Since he was a wrestler, and the ordering was left up to her, she knew exactly how to do it, "I think I'll just have the smallest plate of eggs you have."

"Okay…," Susie was beginning to take notice now. "Two small eggs-"

"Actually," Shannon cut in, "I think what she means is, two small eggs, an order of biscuits and gravy, three sausage links, and a stack of pancakes." He smirked back at May, "Each."

"Okay, so two eggs, two biscuits and gravy, two orders of sausage links and two stacks of pancakes?" Susie checked again, trying to contain herself.

May tried to interject, "Actually-"

"Yup. That's it," Shannon said dismissively. When he looked back at May her mouth was gaping open. "You don't have to open your mouth yet," he smiled, "the food's just been ordered. It's going to take a minute."

She snapped her mouth shut, then opened it again, "I can't possibly eat-"

"Back to what you were saying about your plans to have fun," Shannon indicated that food subject was non-important.

May looked for a moment like she was going to argue, but decided against it. If worse came to worse, she would just shove what she couldn't eat down his throat. "I've made plans to do all sorts of new things."

"Like what?" he questioned.

May smiled, proud of the resolution she had made the previous night, "Like scuba diving, bungee jumping, skydiving, and I think I may even go repelling…"

Shannon sat back and studied her for a moment, "I take it your doing all these things with some friend of yours?"

"Huh?" she looked up, "Well…no."

"Why not-"

"I'd rather do them alone," she cut him off. "That's why."

"You know," he pointed out, "there's really no need for you to be on the defensive this morning. I'm just trying to get to know you-"

"Why?" she finally asked the question that had been plaguing her all morning. Why did he even give a damn?

Shannon thought about it, "I don't know," he replied honestly. She had just seemed lonely, and for some reason, it hurt him. "I just thought-"

She saw the pity in his eyes and realization dawned on her. However, it was easier to feel angry and insulted than it was to feel grateful, "Oh, I get it. You think just because you've seen me naked and embarrassed that I suddenly need a friend? Well I don't!" She stood up, intending to walk back to the hotel. She didn't dare look at him as she passed. Big mistake.

Shannon reached out and grabbed her before he could stop himself, and pulled her into the booth beside him. He casually draped his arm about her shoulder and waited for her to relax. "Chill. Don't be so tense. I'm not going to ravage you or anything. I just want to get to bottom of this."

She gritted her teeth. No one had even noticed her attempted escape. She was trapped. And he expected her to _chill?_ She didn't like being this close to people. Deciding that she didn't have much choice but to sit there, rigid as a board, she spoke up, "Get to the bottom of what?"

"I wanna know why you're so damned scared of me," he said in a quiet tone.

"I'm not scared of you," she half-lied, relaxing slightly. She wasn't scared of him when he kept his distance. At this range, however, she was absolutely terrified. His touch did things to her that it shouldn't. Even now, she was having trouble controlling the inner trembling. What scared her the most, however, was the fact that she reacted this way to someone she scarcely knew anything about.

"Then relax. I'm not out to get you," he said, giving her a comforting squeeze, "I want to help you."

May ducked out from under his arm but remained beside him, "I don't need any help," she lied again, more to herself than anything. "And why should you feel compelled to do so anyway?"

"I don't know, honestly," he turned her face toward him, "but I do know that you can't skydive or anything like that by _yourself_."

"I won't be by myself," she said defensively, "There's going to be a professional jumping with me and-"

"That's not what I mean, Alta May," he chuckled softly. "You're trying to go out and have fun **alone**. I don't know why, for sure, but I think I have a pretty good idea."

"You don't-"

"Listen," he interrupted her rebuttal, "Fun isn't something you do on your own. It's meant to be shared. You need someone there you can rely on to root you forward, even if you're about to do something completely and totally insane."

"Like skydive," she said, her expression falling. He was right. She'd be too afraid, even if there were an instructor to jump with her. Thirteen thousand feet was a long way to fall all by oneself. She wouldn't be able to do it. "Well, I don't _have_ to skydive-"

Shannon shook his head. That was not what he had been trying to do, "Yes, you do. I'm not trying to discourage you from any of your new adventures; I just want you to make the most of them."

"Why?" She asked again, still not understanding. "It's really none of your business."

Shannon sighed. How could explain when he didn't even know himself? "I don't know," he admitted. "I think the desperation that I see in you kind of reminds me of myself."

May looked at him oddly, "I don't see how _you_ could be desperate for anything."

"How's that?" He asked with genuine curiosity, "You don't even know me yet."

"I know enough-"

"Okay," Susie reappeared, "I've got two eggs, two biscuits and gravy, six sausage links, and two orders of pancakes. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Shannon looked over, "No," he chuckled at all the food they would never be able to finish, "I think that about does it." With that, Susie excused herself, knowing she would have a mess to clean up if things got nasty. Shannon returned his attention to May, prompting her to continue.

"I know enough to see that you've got a lot going for you and plenty of friends. I don't see how you could be desperate for anything. Opportunities probably throw themselves at you everywhere you go," she said finally, picking up a sausage link and feeding it to her growling stomach.

"Are we talking business opportunities or are we talking about women, here?" Shannon caught note of a double meaning in her last comment.

May blushed as she took a bite of eggs, "I don't know…both, probably."

He stuffed some pancakes in his mouth, "You're wrong about me."

Chewing on some more eggs she shot back, "I doubt that."

"Don't doubt it," he said. "You've stereotyped me. Not cool."

May put down her fork and looked him square in the eye, "And you didn't do the same to me?"

"Okay, okay," he gave in. "I did kind of put you into the stiff-necked suit category, but I've changed my mind."

"What do you want with me?" she asked bluntly. "Why do you keep showing up at all the wrong times? Why do you even care? Is it the whole, I-saw-you-naked-so-now-I-want-to-see-you-dressed complex that brought to my door this morning or what?-"

"It's exactly what I told you. I can't really explain. I just thought we might have something in common. Matt, Jeff, and I don't tour together anymore and…I don't know," he looked up after a moment to see her really looking at him for the first time.

"You're lonely," she could see it all over his face.

He'd be lying if he said her scrutiny didn't make him feel exposed, or even vulnerable. It did, but he didn't shy away. Not many people took the time to really look at him the way she was doing now. People usually took one quick look, and that was it. They either took it or left it. In most cases, they left it. He wasn't normal-never had been. There was always something different about him. The first and some of the only people who really accepted him for who he was were Matt and Jeff. Would May accept him too? Or had he already weirded her out? "Yah," he said finally, "I guess I am."

May looked down at her hands and tried to think. He was reaching out to her, out of desperation. It broke her heart. Here he was, a WWE Superstar, for crying out loud, with millions of adoring fans and another career shot with ECW. She had even heard he was opening up a tattoo parlor, and he was lonely? Asking her for…_what?_ She didn't know. She didn't even know if he knew, so she just followed his example and quietly ate her food. When they finished what they could of the meal, they left Denny's and rode back to the hotel in contemplative silence.

When they pulled into the hotel parking lot, they silently climbed out of the car and walked to May's door. Finally, she looked up at him. She had planned an entire speech for him on the way back, but the words left her. She couldn't say anything. She saw something in his eyes that tugged at her, and before she could stop herself she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. She wasn't the greatest at giving hugs, but it was all she could do. He seemed like he needed one. "I'm sorry," she said over his shoulder.

Shannon was stunned at first, pausing a few moments before awkwardly wrapping his arms around her. He hadn't seen that coming. However, since when had he been able to correctly predict her personality? If there was one thing he was quickly learning about the seemingly predictable Alta May Jennings, it was that she was completely and totally impulsive. "For what?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

May shrunk back, slightly blushing, "I don't know…" she stammered. "You just looked like you needed a hug." She smiled sheepishly, "I guess I was just repaying the favor."

He smiled, "Well, thanks…"

May slid her key card through the reader by the door, "Anytime," she said stepping into her room.

"Right…," Shannon said, feeling the rejection of yet another person, "I'll see you-"

May turned around, "I mean it. If you ever need someone to talk to…" she trailed off, fishing a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse, "just give me a call, okay?"

"Are you going to be my counselor?" he joked, taking the paper. He'd been wrong again.

"No," she smiled. "But I will be your friend, if that's what you need."

"I'd like that," he said, his spirits slightly lifted, "I'll see you in Pine Bluff."

"See you there," she smiled, shocked at herself for actually giving him her number. "Bye."

"Bye," he said before walking back to his room, wondering what the hell just happened. He hadn't meant to tell her so much. He couldn't explain why he was so happy about seeing her again or why he couldn't wait to dial the number in his pocket. It was that very uncertainty, he knew, that would keep him from doing exactly that.

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Seven pages…I'm slowly getting it back. I hope you like this one. :D Leave me some reviews, if you would. And thank you for all the kind words. :D Oh, and please forgive the typos.


	5. Chapter 5

May shuffled through the papers strewn about the bench that was her office for the night. She heard feet coming toward her and looked back to see Phil Brooks, aka CM Punk, coming toward her. They met eyes and she gave him a smile in professional greeting. They had some things to discuss as far as designs for his next t-shirt were concerned. May stood and held out her hand when he was within a good foot or two of her working space, "It's nice to finally meet you. Sorry we've been a bit behind on things," she said as they shook hands.

Punk shrugged, "It's no big deal. I hear you guys have been pretty busy."

"Us guys? Oh, you mean all the other people in my department on leave?" she laughed sarcastically, "Yah." It was easy for her to be laid back in situations like this. Business-it made everything so much less complicated.

"That's what I heard," he smirked. "So, what have they got for me?"

May pulled out a few color prints from her folders, "There's this one," she said handing him a print and pointing out the designs, "It's pretty much a collage of all your different tattoos."

"Hmmm…" he didn't know what to make of that one. It seemed really crowded, "I don't know."

"Yah," she agreed. "Personally, I think it's a rare work of shit, but I didn't want to come out and say it to the guy's face."

He laughed at her bluntness. She wasn't as stiff as she'd seemed back in that meeting last week. "Which one do you like?" He asked, indicating the other prints she held.

With a contemplative sigh, she sifted through them until she came across the one she thought was the most appealing, "I like this one a lot. I think it does a good job of illustrating your straight-edge, punk attitude."

Punk took the print she offered him and looked it over. There was a straight-edge logo in the same font Rancid used for a lot of their stuff on the front, and on the back, a picture of one of his more intense stares. It was simple, to the point, and he liked it. "I think that's what I want," he said. "Good eye."

"Great," she smiled. "They'll probably go on sale next month sometime. In the mean time, be expecting someone to bring you the first shirt, so you can promo it for a while before we put it out on the merchandise list, okay?"

"Gotchya," he said before turning around. He noticed Shannon Moore coming toward them, in full 'reject' uniform, minus the face paint and feathers. "What's going on, skunk-head?" Outside of their in-ring feud, Phil had actually grown to like the guy. He had some pretty good ideas as far as tattoo shops were concerned, and he planned on checking it out once Shannon opened his.

"Not much, man," Shannon smiled, a little curious as to what Mr. Straight-edge was doing hanging around May. He turned to her, "Hey, May." She nodded back, a bit shyly, before he turned his attention back to CM Punk, "What are you up to?"

Phil shrugged, "Just looking at some new designs for a t-shirt. What do you think of this one?" He handed Shannon the print. Apparently Shannon and Ms. Jennings knew one another.

"Not bad. Little boring…" he said, "But I like the 'shades of Rancid' I see in it."

"Yah, well, sometimes simple is the best choice, especially when your other options look a lot like this," Phil handed Shannon the print with the collage of tattoos.

"Yah, I see what you mean," Shannon agreed.

"Yah well, uh," Phil hadn't missed the vibe of intrusion he was getting, even though he had gotten there first. Something was amiss here, but it wasn't his business and he wasn't going to wear out the welcome. "I've got to get ready for my match, so I'll see you two around."

Shannon and May watched him leave in silence. "So…," May said a bit awkwardly. He hadn't used her phone number since she gave it to him. She was actually quite surprised to see him. She wondered why he had tried so hard to make her a friend two days ago, only to walk away from it. It didn't make sense to her. Maybe she had just read too far into the whole thing. Maybe he hadn't been lonely at all.

"So…what?" he asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Um…what brings you to my office…bench…thing?" she asked, trying to make light of the whole thing. It was so odd the way she felt around him. There was this undeniable, completely unprecedented attraction to him that she couldn't quite understand.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. He didn't know what he was doing lately. "Bored, I guess."

"Oh," she said with a forced smile. Right. So that was it. She was comic relief for his boredom. Well, that certainly explained his curiosity; But why her and not some groupie? _Oh, yah-the beach thing. _Suddenly, she couldn't wait to be rid of him. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go out there or something? You don't even-"

"May," he interrupted, "Sorry I didn't call."

"Huh?" she responded a little too light-heartedly. Why should she care if he didn't call? She shrugged as she turned to pick up her papers, "I wasn't expecting you to," she forced a laugh of detached nonchalance. "I mean-"

He caught her arm, "I meant to…" he said, turning her to face him, "but I just…you know…got busy with some stuff. Matt and Jeff…"

May didn't like being so close to him. She'd spent how much time with him in her entire life? Six hours, tops…if that. It didn't compute. She had been around all kinds of boys her entire life. She had dated many of them similar to Shannon. Rebels, rejects, political activists (in college, of course)-all of them were pretty much the same. But none of them had such an intense effect on her, as he did with a mere touch. Shannon was only lightly grasping her arm, but she felt it like a warm embrace all over her body. She risked meeting his gaze. It turned out to be a mistake, for she felt the wind leave her instantly, "It's no big deal," she lied, her voice barely over a whisper.

"I just don't want you to think…" His words left him as he realized her proximity. May, with her big blue eyes, was so close, that Shannon could feel her breath tickling his Adam's apple. Her skin was soft beneath the hand he had on her arm and she smelt of coconut and honey. Before he knew what he was doing, he bent his head and pressed his mouth to her soft lips.

May gasped softly at the unexpected contact and the immediate physical reaction it provoked. She could feel them both moving closer to one another, and she thought to pull away, but her body kept moving forward despite her mind. She felt his strong hand at the back of her head, pulling her hair free of its constraining bun. When the kiss deepened, it was she that pulled him closer as they moved backward against a wall, and it was she that pushed him away just as quickly the next moment.

Shannon looked down at her mussed hair, flushed cheeks, and swollen lips. She looked beautiful, and he wasn't the least bit remorseful, but the apology came anyway, "I'm sorry, Alta May. I didn't intend…"

May took a breath to calm her nerves. She looked up at him and wished she hadn't come to her senses, but honestly. What had just happened? "Shannon," she swallowed hard, "I think we should..." she didn't know how to put it, "take a step backward. I don't know what just happened, but it can't happen again."

"Right," he agreed with a nod.

"And we barely know each other," she continued as if he hadn't said anything, still a bit shocked.

"I totally agree," he nodded again, watching as she gathered her things together, stacking them on the bench.

"I mean," she said, turning to face him, "I'm really not…you know…"

"You're not the _fling_ type…" he offered.

"Exactly," she said seriously. "I mean…you can't just go around kissing people."

This caused him to laugh, "Calm down, Alta May." He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "You don't have to worry. I'm not the fling type either. At least, not any more. I was at one time, I won't lie-"

"Ew," she blurted.

He grimaced at her disgust, "Thanks…"

"Sorry," she said, touching his forearm in apology, "I didn't mean-"

He shook his head. Since when had he become so freakin' sensitive? If Matt were here, he'd call him a pussy. He had to get out of here before he did something else that was really stupid. "It's cool. I-uh-I gotta get going. I have a match in, like, twenty minutes."

"Right," May smiled softly, confused, as he turned away. "Uh-good luck!"

Shannon impulsively turned around and gave her another swift kiss, then smiled at her flushed cheeks before fleeing the scene, "Sorry," he yelled back over his shoulder, "I won't do it again. I _promise_." So much for avoiding more stupidity.

May picked up her things and headed for the bathroom. Deciding the bathroom wasn't private enough she changed her mind, and headed for her rental car. Once there, she tossed her papers inside, and then flung herself into the driver's seat. Sitting behind the steering wheel, her heart finally began to settle. What had just happened? How had it happened? Why was she running? _I'm not running._ It was true that her work for the night was done, but she usually stayed and watched the show. She was, after all, a wrestling fan herself.

As her breathing began to slow, May caught a glimpse of her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips red and swollen from his kiss, her hair in disarray, and her pupils still dilated. _He could destroy you,_ she reminded herself. He most certainly could. She had felt his touch throughout her entire body; her heart had pounded so hard that she thought it would stop beating all together.

And then he had kissed her again with such ease, as if he had done it a thousand times before. She fought against the smile curving her lips, but failed. She had never felt this exhilarated in her life. She didn't need to go skydiving to know how it felt to be falling thirteen thousand feet. As soon as he had kissed her, she had experienced a fall twenty times as deep. She shook her head, ridding her mind of the nonsensical thoughts. What was she to him? She imagined she was nothing more to him than a warm body. He had admitted he was lonely, but not in what way. May now had a pretty good idea, and it scared the hell out of her. Like Shannon, she too was lonely, and she would cling to the memory of that kiss, because from now on, May resolved that she would not see him again. For her own good as well as his.

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The next few weeks flew by for May. Between the onslaught of filling in for three different positions, keeping her sister at bay, and avoiding Shannon, May had scarcely noticed when the final work week came to a close. After tonight, she would get a nice long week to herself. She had promised her niece and nephew they would go fishing, and she planned to stick to it this time. Her flight would leave tonight at 11:00. She wouldn't risk staying another night in the same city as Shannon.

Six times had he tried to call her since that night, and six times had she ignored his call. She didn't stick around after her work at the events was complete, and if she saw his Mohawk in the crowd, she would duck out of view and flee the scene. It might be a bit childish, she'd admit that much, but she couldn't afford to open herself to the vulnerability he evoked from her.

Three weeks later, and she could still feel his mouth on hers, his hand in her hair. The memories sent goose-bumps up her spine and down her arms. All she had to do was make it through tonight. It wouldn't be too much of a challenge. She had already finished most of her obligations. She just had a few more details to work out. As she began to go over the sales percentage charts, May's phone went off, signaling that she had a text message. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach, and she knew instantly who it was. She flipped open her phone, and read the message:

TXT: 7:30pm 'Mind if I come in?'

Sent by: Shannon Moore.

She looked at the text and then to the open door way. May had forgotten to shut it after coming back from the restroom. _Shit._ There he stood, dressed up casual style. To her knowledge, he didn't have a match tonight, and wasn't required to be here. Which was why, of course, she hadn't been nearly as on edge as usual tonight. Why hadn't she been more careful? Of course he would be here. Raw and Smackdown were touring pretty close together lately, and Matt and Jeff Hardy were among his list of close friends. They were probably all around here somewhere, enjoying the show. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _"Hi," she said, finally.

"Hi," he tested the waters. "Haven't seen you in while."

"Oh," she smiled nervously, "I've been around."

"Not around your phone, apparently," he gestured to where she still held her cell, open to his text message.

"Uh…" she snapped it shut. "I-"

Shannon came forward, and she sprung to her feet, "Don't," he held out his hands, palms up. "Don't run away again."

May looked up with as much dignity as she could muster, "I didn't run away."

"I stand corrected," he said. "You haven't _stopped_ running yet."

"I'm not run-"

"You're definitely avoiding me," he pointed out with a smile. "Why?"

May opened her mouth to give some quip reply about his enormous ego, but none came. "I need to get back to work. If you'll excuse me-"

"_Alta May_," he pleaded.

"Don't!" she yelled. Then lowered her voice, remembering that the door was open, "Don't call me that."

"What do you want me to call you, then?" he asked, not letting her change the subject.

"Ms. Jennings would be appropriate, I think," she said prudishly.

"Ms. Jennings, huh?" he smirked. She had some hellfire in her after all.

"That's right," she asserted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Moore, I have work to-"

Unable to bare the less appealing prude before him, he grabbed her shoulders, "May, it was just a kiss."

"There were two kisses, and-"

"Let me finish, or I'll make it three!"

May gulped, "I'm not **easy**, Shannon!"

He eased his grip a little, "I would never think that about you, May," he explained. "I didn't expect to kiss you that night. It just happened. I would **never** take advantage of you or anyone else like that."

May knew that he was telling the truth, but she wanted to think the worst of him. It would be easier for both of them if she did. Falling for him would put her out there far enough to be torn to shreds. And if they became friends, fall him she certainly would, and she knew it too. "Shannon, I just don't understand," she tried to relax a bit, but he was touching her again, and it was definitely having its usual effects, "why is this-a friendship with _me_-so important to you?" Perhaps she could try to reason with his more logical side. Surely he had plenty of friends.

He sighed and dropped his arms, "I don't know." He crossed the room and shut the door. The last thing he needed was for someone to witness him make a fool of himself, "I've been sorta messed up lately. Meeting you _hasn't_ helped." He took a seat on the couch opposite her desk.

So he intended to stay for awhile. Just great. May smiled nervously, "Well it hasn't been easy for me either, if it makes you feel any better."

"A little," he chuckled softly, "I see you finally got a real office this time."

"You never know what you're gonna get around here. I just lucked out this time, that's all," she explained, taking a seat on top of her desk, her high-heel shoes slipping off as she did so. She let them lay on the floor. They had been killing her feet all night, and she was glad to be rid of them for a few minutes. She'd grown to rather like her tennis shoes after gashing her foot. Memories of that day flooded her mind and she quickly shook them away, "So, why won't you leave me alone?" She asked, trying to be somewhat humorous before growing a bit more serious, "You don't even know me that well."

"A fact that you will not let me forget," he pointed out. "What you don't know is that I've seen the kind of person you are and it makes me _want _to get to know you."

"Shannon-"

"Look," he interrupted, "I'm not after someone to keep me warm at night on the road, alright? It's not about that." He looked up to make sure she was getting the picture, "There aren't a lot of people that I can really call a friend but there's something about you that gets me."

Shannon stood and walked over to her, "I won't lie. I'm definitely attracted to you, and I'd kiss you again." She looked away at his confession, but he lifted her chin to make her look at him, "but only if you wanted me to."

May had to be beat red, and she knew it. He wasn't using any pretense. He was being forward with her, and despite herself, May liked him even more because of it. "I can't believe how blunt you are," she smiled in an effort to calm her nerves as he sat down beside her on the desk. "Have you no shame?"

"None," he admitted without hesitation, "and you can blame the Hardy Boyz for that." He leaned toward her slightly, "So, you gonna quit avoiding me now?"

May nodded, letting out a contemplative breath, "I want to know you too, Shannon, but I have boundaries." She met his stare, "There are lines that I just can't cross. I don't know what your opinion of women is, but I am not-"

"I won't cross any lines that you don't cross first," he assured her. "I'm really not the scoundrel you think I am."

She laughed lightly, "I don't think you're a scoundrel." He'd been nothing but a gentleman since the night he had come to her aid on the beach. It would just be better if he were a jerk, that's all. Then she could write him off without any hesitation, but here they were, both agreeing to something they both knew couldn't last-a platonic friendship. May knew that if she fell for him, and she would, that eventually he would tire of her and move on to the next one. She would just have to roll with the punches and ignore the attraction for as long as she could. But she just couldn't tell him to screw off. He'd given her the responsibility of initiation. He wouldn't move on her if she didn't move first. And that was how she was going to keep it-at a distance.

May scooted off the desk and walked around to the folder she had been working on before he had text messaged her. Shannon slid of the desk as well, turning to look at her, "So, does this mean I'm off your black-ball list?"

She looked up with a grin, "We're back on a first name basis, if that's what you mean."

"Good," he returned her grin with a devilish one of his own that sent her heart beat racing. She quickly looked down at her paper. Shannon could sense that she had a few demons in her past that kept her introverted when it came to men. That was fine. He wouldn't make a move without an invitation. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't try his damnedest to influence her to give him one. It was true that they didn't know each well at all, but there was something about her that drew him to her door tonight. There was an honesty about her that he admired. She had this way of wearing her heart on her sleeve and she was a kind soul. That type of good-natured patience and kindness had been missing in his life, and he wanted it…needed it.

"So…" he came around the desk to stand behind her, where he began rubbing her stiff shoulders. When she didn't protest, he spoke again, "Why don't you come out to N.C. on Halloween for a barb-b-q with me and the guys?"

"Mmm…" May was now fighting sleep. He was obviously very good with his hands and she had to fight back the heat that his touch brought forward, "I can't."

"Aw. C'mon, Alta May," he cajoled with his smooth Carolina accent.

"No," she insisted, "I really can't. I promised my niece and nephew I'd take them trick-or-treating since I had to cancel our fishing trip a couple weeks ago."

"Trick-or-treating, huh?" he teased, "I thought you said you never had any fun."

"I have fun," she defended herself, "just not the dangerous kind."

"But you plan to change all that?" he probed, skillfully moving his hands up her neck.

"Well," she sighed. "How can I explain?"

"You could always start with," he lifted his voice up an octave to mimic her, "'I went skinny-dipping on the beach at two in the morning because…'"

She blew out playful breath, "Smart-ass." May tired trying to sit up and bent forward to lay her head on her arms. His hands moved to work on her shoulder blades, "I guess I wanted to do something _extreme_, you know? I've always done what's expected of me, and I was tired of it. I still am."

"So…you're gonna go all Evil Knievel to spice things up a bit?"

"Well…I don't know," she moaned softly when he hit a really tense spot in her back, "I did call and make plans for the Honolulu show to go scuba diving. I thought about doing some hang gliding, but I think I'd be too scared to do it alone."

"I could go with you," he volunteered. He, Matt, Jeff, and Amy had all gone together once. "I've done it before."

She sighed, "You don't have to do that-"

"I want to," he smiled, finally lifting his hands from her now very, very loose back. "Your fear of hang gliding is the perfect excuse for me to have some fun in Hawaii after Halloween."

May laughed, lifting her head from the desk, "Alright. I'll call you and let you know what's going on before we get there."

"Cool," he said, heading to the door. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm catching a red-eye to Connecticut," she yawned.

"Why?" he asked, giving her the why-on-earth-would-you-fly-red-eye-if-you-didn't-have-to look. The answer dawned on him when he noticed the pinking of her cheeks, "Ah. I see." She had done it in an effort to avoid this exact situation. To avoid him.

She averted her eyes. May didn't want him to know he was most of the reason for her early departure, "I wanted to get home. I haven't slept in my own bed in a little over a month now."

"All your co-workers are back now, huh?" He let the flight thing slide. It was before they had talked tonight.

"Yah," she said with a sigh of relief, "All except Jack, but as soon as I get these over to Jake Redding, then I can leave."

"You should stick around and have a few drinks us," he said, walking over to her, and closing the briefcase that sat open on her desk.

She regarded him with gentle seriousness, "I'm sorry. I really can't. My flight-"

"We'll get you to the airport in time. It's only seven forty-five. You've got your things in your car, right?"

"Well yes, but-"

"No buts. C'mon, it'll be fun," he pulled her out of her chair, "I'll be your D.D."

"Yah, 'cause that's reassuring," she shot back sarcastically.

"It should be," he informed her. "You've seen how talented I am behind the wheel."

"Psssht," she snorted.

"C'mon. Why not start living a little more dangerously today?" he lured her in. He knew she'd come now.

May thought about it for a minute. Why not? It's not like they'd be alone together. "Alright, fine. I'll go."

"Great. I'll get the guys while you take care of whatever it is you need to give that Jake guy," Shannon left before she could delay further.

May smiled. She was about to do something unusual again. It felt good. She could only hope that it would end up with better results than the last time.

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10 pages, people. That's an accomplishment for me. Please leave a review. Also, if you haven't noticed, I'm not going to go by the WWE timeline like I usually do. I'll keep up with his career progress, but as far as show times and dates…it's just too constraining. If it's convenient for me, I'll throw in a show or something from one, but until then...this is one of those behind the scenes stories, and that's that. :D


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: the following chapter contains the use of alcohol. Alcohol is a **drug**that can cause nausea, incoherent speech, delayed physical and mental reaction, and in the worst cases of overuse, alcohol can also cause liver disease. But if you don't do it often and you drink responsibly, it can also be kinda fun.

Chapter 5:

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" The voices of Shane, Matt, Jeff, and Shannon surrounded May as she polished off her fourth Smirnoff. She let out a hiccup of a belch that sent her partners in crime for the night into hysterics.

"Nice…" Shane lifted his bottle of beer, taking a swig.

Jeff patted her shoulder from the seat beside her, "Never knew you had it in you, did you?"

"Yah, well…I know what all of you think uh me," she gestured to them as she spoke, "Ya all think I'm uh prude." It seemed that the more she tried to concentrate on what she was saying, the more her speech became slurred. The two jagerbombs and the white russian she drank previous to the Smirnoffs probably weren't helping any.

"C'mon, now, May," Matt chimed in, "We never said that."

"You didn't haf to," she turned to Shannon on her right, "They don' haf to say it." She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned toward his ear, "'Cause I know."

Shannon chuckled and pulled her chair over toward him, just incase she decided to pass out, he'd be there to catch her, "No one here thinks you're a prude, May. I promise. Especially now." Shannon lifted his gaze and directed it across the table at his three best friends, "Do you guys?"

"Naaaah," they all said in unison. "In fact," Jeff threw in, "You make a right happy drunkard! And everybody knows that happy drunks are the best drunks!"

"That's right!" Matt agreed.

"Yah?" May asked with a lazy grin.

"Yah," Shane assured, lifting his bottle of beer, "To May." Everyone raised their bottles, but Shannon, who lifted a glass of Dr. Pepper.

May lifted the fresh bottle of Smirnoff that the waitress had delivered at the request of Matt Hardy. "Ta me," she said pulling her hair tie out and launching it across the bar, allowing her long hair to spill down her back and around her shoulders, "May I never wear a bun again!" She and her comrades enjoyed a good laugh before downing their drinks. Matt, Jeff, Shane, and Shannon started talking about something to do with ECW as May started to zone out.

Alta May felt completely and totally wonderful. She was actually having a good time. Here she was the geek from high school, the smart one, the serious one…the drunken one! It was a blast. She had been to several parties in her life, especially in college, but she had always been the designated driver…a bystander to all the fun. Not that she minded. Someone had to do it when alcohol was involved, and she'd rather drive her passed out friends home to make sure they got there rather than wake up the next morning fearing the worst as she read the paper.

Tonight, however, D.D. was assigned to someone beside herself and for the first time, May was getting seriously drunk. Ignoring the icky churning of her stomach, May concentrated on the music playing. It was a song she didn't recognize so she looked over to where Shannon sat closely beside her. He smiled at her and she almost blurted out how cute he looked and just what she'd like to do to him, but she bit her tongue before the words went flying.

Shannon looked over at May with a smile. She was already three sheets to the wind. Her ash brown hair fell haphazardly about her face. Her blue eyes weren't as big as usual, due to the largely dilated pupils. Chuckling, he placed his hat on her head, "You are a mess, my little drunken friend."

Shane and the others smiled knowingly at the interaction between the two. They were trying very hard to pretend they didn't notice as they went on with their discussion. "I'm gonna kick your ass next week, you know that right?" Shane smirked at Matt.

"Not if I kick yours first," Matt shot back. "Tonight."

"Oooohhhh," Shane pretended to be scared.

May turned her attention to the mud-slinging duo, "I'll kick both of your asses. Right here, right now!" she declared.

Jeff looked back and forth between May, Matt, and Shane, "I think she could take ya'll."

"She could take all three of you guys easy," Shannon threw in. "But that's only because the three of you are a bunch pussies. And you're drunk."

May covered his mouth with her hand, "Weren't ya ever tol' not to swear in front of a lady, you dumb ass." A comment which everyone seemed to find hilarious.

Def Leppard blared throughout the bar. 'Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on.' "I love this song," May declared.

Jeff, in the mood to look totally ridiculous, jumped up from his seat and extended his hand to May, "Wanna dance?"

May smiled, feeling very much the same, "Yes I do!" She smiled back at Shannon as Jeff led her onto the dance floor. He ignored the pang of jealousy he felt in his chest as he watched May laugh while trying to skank dance with Jeff. He looked away, trying not to be obvious.

"So," Matt brought Shannon out of his musings, "Is she the one Jeff was telling me about? The one you bumped into on the beach?"

"Does he always tell you everything?" Shannon asked, annoyed.

"You know he does," Shane interjected. "And then Matt tells me or vise versa."

"So, uh," Matt went on, "are you two like…" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Nah," Shannon shook his head, taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper. "It's not like that." _Yet_. Risking another glance in her direction, a few minutes later, he looked up in time to see May and Jeff heading back in the direction of the table. She didn't look so hot, "You alright," he asked as she sat down beside him, "You didn't slip her anything, did you?" he joked with Jeff.

"Never," Jeff held up his hands in defense, then let them drop and shrugged, "unless, of course, you're talking about that roofie I dropped in her drink earlier…"

Shannon chuckled, "I think we better get you outta here," he said, looking at her more closely.

"Yah," May agreed, resting her head on his shoulder, and then clumsily lifting it again in panic, almost head-butting Shannon into next week. "What time is it!" She'd forgotten all about her flight.

"It is…" Shane was the first to succeed in reading his watch, "twelve-thirty."

"What?" she asked in astonishment, more dizziness setting in. Where had all the time gone? "How did it get so…"

"_Alta May_!" Shannon was able to catch her before she fell completely off her chair. He pulled her up; steadying her against him while he made sure she was just passed out.

"I think she's out, man," Jeff observed, brilliantly.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Shane laughed, tossing a peanut at Jeff's forehead.

"What is it with the peanuts tonight?" he scolded.

Matt responded to his brother's inquiry by tossing another handful in Jeff's direction, "I don't know, but I think they like you tonight." Shannon and Shane grinned at the altercation. There was nothing quite like a Hardy feud.

"You're lucky we're in a public place or I'd kick both your asses," Jeff threatened, jokingly.

"Uh," Shannon interrupted what may have escalated into another 'fight' as seen on The Hardy Show. "I think we're gonna head out."

"Drive safe, man," Matt nodded a good bye as Shannon stood, taking care, Matt noticed, to keep May steady, "as for us, we'll probably be taking taxis out of here."

"Be careful," Shane advised. "She'll probably still be thinking about that flight you promised she wouldn't miss when she wakes up."

"I know, I know," Shannon grumbled as he gathered May into his arms, carrying her bridal style toward the exit. "See ya'll later."

"Later," they all said in unison.

"He's got it bad," Jeff spoke his thoughts after the door closed behind his exiting friend.

"We know," Shane agreed.

"You should have seen the death stare he was giving you when you were dancing with her," Matt grinned.

"Hmm…" Jeff sighed, thinking it over as he took a drink. She was a nice girl…definitely not the type he was used to seeing Shannon date, but who knew…Maybe that was a good thing. "It's about time," Jeff finally concluded aloud, saying exactly what everyone had been thinking all night.

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May opened her eyes to be greeted with early morning darkness. She winced at the pounding of her head and the rushing of her ears. _Where am I…_Her heart beat quickened, somewhat frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings. She jerked her head quickly to the left at an unidentified sound. She then inhaled sharply at the sight of a stranger's silhouette, slumping in a chair; head laid back, and feet propped on the table.

Slowly, her pulse began to relax. The figure was not a stranger after all, she realized as she was able to make out a familiar, loose, un-spiked, Mohawk. _Shannon._ Her mind screamed again as several unanswered questions flew around amongst her thoughts. What had she-_they_-done that she didn't know about? She lifted the covers to find herself completely dressed, save for her shoes, which she spotted on the floor near the edge of the bed. Trying to remain calm, she told herself that if anything had happened between them that she should know about, he wouldn't be sleeping so far away and she definitely wouldn't be quite so clothed.

Finally able to gather her wits, she examined his form more closely from where she lay in the bed, peeking from beneath her blankets. She obviously had never seen him sleep before, and liked the opportunity it afforded her to really look at him. May could never openly admire him while he was awake. Hell, she could barely look him in the eye as it was. Like this, however, May was able to notice things she had never noticed before. There was a sadness about his face that lingered around his eyes and mouth. May licked her lips subconsciously as he exhaled again through slightly parted lips.

It was still dark outside, dawn pending on the horizon. It had to be close to five in the morning. The little light that did filter in through the blinds illuminated his form, casting a luring glow. He wore a pair of black work out pants with white lines down the sides. The rest of him, however, was left uncovered. His muscles were accented by the shadows and his face looked peaceful despite the sadness. She suddenly wondered if he were cold as she became captivated by the steady rise and fall of his chest.

A little unsteadily, May sat up, nausea hitting her as she did so. She pushed aside the clammy feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach as she separated her top blanket from the one beneath it. Stomach churning, head pounding, and knees shaking, she made her way toward him with the cover and a pillow. She didn't know exactly how she'd manage getting the pillow under his head without waking him, but she'd figure it out. His hair gel had obviously given out, because his Mohawk fell loosely down the center of his head. He looked so peaceful, despite the precarious, uncomfortable looking position he was in. May lightly touched his arm and he was indeed cold to the touch. She wondered how he managed to sleep like so.

Feeling a bit queasier than she had a moment ago, May quickly made to cover him up. When she began to lift his head, in order to place the pillow under his neck, she felt his arm wrap around her waist and tighten. She had obviously startled him awake, because he had to blink a few times to see that it was her. "May?" his grip loosened a bit as he furrowed his brow in question, "What are you doing?"

"You looked cold," she whispered hoarsely. His reaction had taken her off guard as well, and done nothing to ease the nausea that was swimming in her belly. She hated feeling sick. This was yet another unwanted side effect to living a little more dangerously that she didn't care for.

Shannon took notice of the blanket that he hadn't remembered covering up with, "Thanks," he spoke quietly. There was just something about early morning that made you want to speak softly. "I'm fine, though. Why don't you go ahead and go back to sleep? After last night, you need some rest."

"I-" May began with a whisper, but a sudden wave of sickness washed over her. "Ugh."

"May?" Shannon asked concerned. She looked like she could spew at any moment. Arm still around her waist, he stood up and studied her before picking her up as he had done in the bar earlier.

"I don't feel so good," she admitted weakly as he carried her to the bed.

"You're having a pretty mean hangover, huh?" He asked, kneeling to place her on the bed.

May was only able to let out a soft moan of discomfort. He had carried her as easily as one might carry a child. For May, the short walk to the bed had not been adequate enough time spent in his arms. His closeness lent a comfort that May had never quite experienced before and his touch made her insides melt. Considering she was already sick, the butterflies didn't help much, but she wanted him near.

Shannon laid her gently on the bed before going to his bag and grabbing a couple of aspirin. He then crossed the hotel room to the sink and dampened a cool wash rag, before filling a cup with water. When he returned to her side, he laid everything on the night stand except the cup of water. "Here," he said, helping her sit up, "drink some of this and take these." He handed her the aspirin. "Your head has _got_ to be pounding right now." Once she did as she was told, he helped her lay back down again and placed the cool wash cloth over her forehead. "Better?"

"Mmm Hmm," she sighed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he yawned.

May could sense him about to leave her side, and she reached for his arm as she felt him begin to lean forward. Despite herself and damn it all, she didn't want him to go anywhere, even if it was only a few feet, "Wait…"

Shannon looked into her pleading eyes. He saw in them desperation, need, and something else he couldn't quite describe. He'd never seen such emptiness in someone other than himself, "Hmm?" He forced himself to make some kind of sound as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"I…" what was she trying to say? "Could you…" she felt like a fool. Here she was mumbling with delusion. _Just spit it out!_ "Stay…" she stammered quietly…almost, _almost_ inaudibly, "I-I don't like to be alone when I'm sick." She looked away, feeling rather pathetic. Here she was, a grown woman, asking a grown man to just sit with her because she doesn't feel good. Well, boo-hoo. "Nevermind," she said quickly, still looking away, "I-" she felt like crying. How pathetic could she be? She felt his weight leave her side of the bed. She closed her eyes, embarrassed at her childish emotions.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt the bed go down beside her. She then felt herself being pulled into a strong, warm embrace. As if he could sense her about to protest, Shannon silenced her with a, "Shh." From behind her, he tugged her hair away from her face, "I know you didn't mean anything by it," he whispered into her ear. "Just go sleep. I'm here if you need anything."

Reveling in the feel of being completely surrounded by him, May felt her bottom lip quivering and she quickly bit it to ward off the threatening tears. His kindness and compassion tore at her. This was the third time he had come to her aid without her even having to ask. Memories of her parents and the struggle she and her sister had endured as children, seeking affection and warmth from their parents flooded her aching head. It had always confused her and Janette as children.

Playing with the other kids in school and seeing them interact with their parents had always been a bit awkward for May and her sister. Their parents provided them with the necessities in life-food, clothing, shelter, but the affection they received was sparse. They were seldom treated with that unfaltering, unwavering kindness and had Janette not married Luke and had two kids, May would likely not know anything about love or how to give and receive it. In fact, she still had a long way to go. But that's what happened when you were the result of an accidental pregnancy.

Tearfully, May wondered, even now, if that was all she and her sister had ever been to their parents-accidents. Burdens. A tear found its way down May's cheek followed by another, then another. She cried herself, silently to sleep, not knowing or caring where the tears fell. The warmth that Shannon provided was far too comforting for her to ignore.

Shannon felt every tear place itself on the hand that rested beside her face. By the time her breathing had finally evened and the tears had stopped falling, his hand was covered. He didn't ask her what was wrong, and wasn't sure if she even knew he was aware of her crying. Something had told him that it was something she just need to do, and he told himself he wouldn't ask her about it in the morning, either. He kissed the back of her head gently before falling asleep himself.

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Okay, so this is chapter 6. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please keep the reviews coming, they really are an inspiration. Oh, and if you drink, don't drive. Get someone to be your D.D. Also, if you don't know what skank dancing is, you should check it out. I noticed that Jeff Hardy does it ALL the time and I thought I would throw it in just to be humorous!


	7. Chapter 7

"They aren't dark enough, Aunt May," Chelsea, May's niece, called from the bathroom before running back into her aunt's bedroom. "I'm a cat. They have to be able to see my whiskers."

May smiled as she grabbed the black face-paint from the vanity. She made it home Saturday afternoon, after saying goodbye to Shannon at the airport. Her cheeks pinked with the memory of waking up beside him that morning, merely three days ago. She shook her head of the thoughts and focused at the task at hand. She lightly took hold of Chelsea's chin between her index finger and thumb, "Okay, now hold still so I don't smear it everywhere," she instructed. Using the tool provided in the Halloween make-up kit, May expertly darkened the lines of her niece's whiskers, "There," she smiled, "Purrrfect."

Chelsea giggled then looked in the mirror. "Thanks Aunt May," she hugged May around the waist where she sat, "I'm gonna go show mom and dad!" The child sprinted out of the room gleefully yelling for her parents to come see her, causing a smile to spread over May's face.

Her heart pattered at the sound of her phone going off. She had assigned the theme from the twilight zone to Shannon's phone number. She found it humorous in the spirit of Halloween. Clearing her throat, she flipped it open, "Hello?"

"Hey," Shannon juggled the phone and a box as he entered his soon to be opened tattoo shop. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," she smiled into the receiver. "I just got done doing my niece's make-up. I'm waiting for Josh to get in here to let me work on him."

"What are they dressing up as?" he asked, as he placed the box on the counter.

"Well…Chelsea is wearing a cat costume and Josh is going as Frankenstein," she chuckled softly, wondering how she would do Josh's make-up.

"What are _you_ wearing?" he asked innocently. He could feel her blushing.

"Uh…" May looked down at her sweatpants and t-shirt, "I'm going as a gym teacher," she jested, ignoring his innuendo.

"That's _hot_. Are you gonna wear those really short sixties shorts and some bobby socks," he challenged.

"What are you going to dress up as?" May asked, turning his question on him.

"I'm dressing up as a streaker," he continued to egg her on.

"Shannon-"

"What? You don't think I'd make a good streaker?" he laughed.

"You're terrible," she shook her head as she crossed the room.

"What are you really going as?" he asked.

"I'm not telling. You'll laugh at me," she insisted, pulling the costume in question out of the closet.

"C'mon, May. I'll tell you, if you tell me," he tried to bargain.

"You're not seriously dressing up, are you?" For some reason she just couldn't picture him doing so.

"I'm not wearing a costume really, just a whole lot of face-paint," he shrugged as he started unpacking the box at hand, sitting it's contents on the counter. "Now, what about you?"

"I'm doing the same, actually," she lied.

"Yah, right. You already gave yourself away. If you don't tell me now, I'll just see pictures later," he pushed.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'm going as…" she mumbled something incoherent.

Shannon smiled into the phone, "What's that…I didn't quite hear it."

"Princess Leigha," she said clearly this time. She heard him chuckle on the other line, "I knew you'd laugh at me."

"I would have never taken you as a Star Wars fan. So, who's your Han Solo?" he teased, but genuinely interested.

"I'm going pre-Solo, thank you," she said matter of factly.

"You should have come down here with me," he chuckled, "I could have been Han for you."

May laughed, "No thanks."

"What?" he said, pretending to be offended, "You don't think I could fill his moon shoes?"

May laughed harder, "Shut up."

"Yes, ma'am," he joked. He heard someone talking on her end, 'Aunt May! Aunt May! I need you to draw my stitches!'

"Hey, I gotta go. Frankenstein has finally arrived for his makeover," she smiled. "I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, have fun trick-or-treating," he drawled.

"You, too," she laughed, "Talk to you later."

"Later," he said before hanging up the phone, wishing he could trick-or-treat some candy out of May. He missed her. Shannon had known her a little more than a month, but holding her once was enough to get him addicted. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the way her hair smelt. It had been the hardest thing he had ever done, holding her all night, his body ever aware of her close proximity.

The tears she had cried that night bit at his mind. He wondered why she was so sad. There was no doubt she was lonely, he could drown in the emptiness he saw within her. Her desperate attempt to feel something other than nothing by going to that beach that night…He knew what it was to feel immobile…to feel numb. He had felt that way when he lost his father. Part of him knew he would never again feel completely whole, but wrestling again had filled part of that empty space and when he was with May, he almost felt whole again. Only, she wouldn't have him.

Three days ago, he'd said goodbye to her at the airport. When May woke up that morning, however, to see him lying beside her, she was wide-eyed and on edge. She was about as jumpy as a rabbit and twice as shy.

Flash back

Shannon woke up to the sound of a door shutting, and May's vacated spot on the bed. Sleepily, he jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She had been so out of it last night, he doubted she remembered asking him to stay by her side. When he opened the door, he found May standing in her rumpled dress suit and tangled hair with her back to the door, looking over the rail of the walkway. No doubt she was considering jumping. Was he that repulsive to her?

"May? Nothing happened," he approached her regardless of the stiffness he saw in her form and the negative thoughts running through his mind. "Are you alright?" He placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

She took a breath and then finally spoke, "I'm fine." She turned to him with eyes full of shame, "I'm so embarrassed."

He couldn't help but smile, "You're always saying that. Why?"

May looked away, "Because it's true. Whenever I'm around you…I feel so…I don't know." She turned back to look out over the parking lot. _Warm…needy…helpless, maybe?_

"Sure you do," he joined her at her side. "You know."

"Shannon," she turned to look at him, "please. You and I-"

"I know," he cut her off. Shannon, however, really didn't know. He wasn't used to feeling this way about someone in such a short period of time. He wasn't used to wanting someone the way he wanted May, and he certainly wasn't used to caring so damned much about someone especially after being divorced, chewed up and spit out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the sincerity in her eyes banished the bitterness that had begun to settle in his mind. She smiled then. A genuine smile that he'd never seen before, "Thanks for helping me get over my hangover."

He smiled back, "No problem. How about I help you schedule another flight too. You've got relatives depending on you to take them on a candy hunt."

May nodded, still smiling, before heading back into the room. Shannon didn't know what she was thinking, but he only hoped that he had something to do with the glimmer of happiness she was showing.

end flash back

As he exited his shop, Shannon smiled at the memory then wondered what it would take to get her to cross her own boundary. He wondered if maybe it was simply because he wasn't good enough for her. Maybe she didn't like his tattoos or his multiple piercings…maybe they scared her. Maybe if he…No. Shannon Moore didn't change for anything or anyone. He was who he was; take it, or leave it. Only, he really didn't want her to leave it.

He shook his head. May wasn't like that anyway…was she? _Nah…_Maybe he just wasn't her type or maybe she just didn't want to date a co-worker. He was frustrating himself thinking of all the possible reasons for her rejection. Regardless of the image of his in ring persona, "The Reject" didn't like to be rejected. Shannon cleared his mind of all thoughts of May. He was going to Matt and Jeff's for their annual Halloween party and he planned to drink the longing for May out of his system for as many hours as he could manage. Punching the gas, he sped toward his goal.

XXXXXXXXXX

Janette looked over at her sister as she picked through her children's candy for inspection. "So," she tried to sound casual, "How many more times are you going to check for messages?"

May looked up, slightly pink from the accusation, "I wasn't checking for messages, I was just-" she stopped speaking when her sister raised her brow. She had never been able to hide anything from Janette. "Alright, fine. I was checking."

Janette smiled knowingly, "You must like him a lot."

"It isn't like that," she tried to defend herself. "Shannon is…a friend. He helps me."

"Really?" Janette questioned. "And in what way, exactly, might he be helping you, I wonder…"

May's eyes widened at the blunt insinuation, "Janette-"

"Listen, May," Janette walked over to sit at the table with her sister, "I know it's hard for you-"

"You don't know anything about it, Janette," May interrupted, not liking where this conversation was headed.

Her sister, however, was persistent if nothing else, "I grew up in the same household as you, May. I know how you're feeling. I know how hard it is to open up to someone, and I thank God every day for Luke and how he never gave up trying to pick my locks." Janette came around the table face to face with her sister, placing a hand on each of May's shoulders, "Sweetie…how can you say that this is nothing?" she gestured to where the phone lay on the table. "You've talked to him everyday since you came home. I know you're not talking about work, and if you're not talking about work, then what _are_ you talking about?"

May pursed her lips, "We just talk about things. He's my friend, Janette. Friends talk about things."

"Maybe so," she said with a grin, "but I don't recall you ever checking your phone every two minutes to see if any of your other friends have called. And I don't recall you ever coming home a day late because you went out and got drunk. You've never been hung-over a day in your life!"

May opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came. Janette was right. Her relationship with Shannon had come to mean more to her than friendship, and entirely too soon. Of course, she knew this would happen the moment she agreed to go with him and his friends to the bar that night and she knew the only thing that stood between her and Shannon being together was her own self-proclaimed boundaries. Boundaries she swore to herself a hundred times since she laid them, that she would NOT cross. "I've only known him a month," was all that she could muster.

"So what!" Janette shot back. "Sometimes, May, you just gotta put yourself out there-"

"I don't want to get hurt, Janette," May could feel her tears rising. "What if I'm just some challenge to him? Or worse, what if we do get together and then he finds someone better or more exciting? What if he gets bored with me? What then?"

"Then at least you'll have done something besides sit here and wonder about it, asking all these what-ifs before even giving IF a chance," Janette pressed. "I think you should just consider it at least, that's all."

May nodded, the lump in her throat receding somewhat, "Janette," May called to her sister who was about to return the candy to her children, "Thanks."

"Anytime, May. I just don't want you to miss out on your opportunity to have something like this," Janette motioned to their surroundings-a home full of warmth, kid's laughter in the next room, and the scent of pumpkin pie. "Besides, you could do to get laid." May's sister smiled mischievously before heading into the other room, "Alright," May heard Janette say, "The verdict's in. The candy is clean!" The sound of her excited niece and nephew followed. May smiled and shook her head at her sister. She had to be nuts. May wanted to believe her, but the fear she felt was so much stronger than any point Janette could make.

May climbed the stairs to her room a few hours later. The kids had gone to bed shortly after receiving their candy but May, Janette, and Luke had stayed up to watch a couple scary movies. It was their annual tradition. "Don't let the bed bugs bite," Luke had teased when she excused herself. _I never do…_she had thought miserably.

As she undid her Princess Leigha braid, her phone went off with a text message alert. She scooped it up off the bed where she had thrown it upon entering the room. She read the message from Shannon.

'Trick or treat,' it read. May shook her head, trying not to feel so happy. She knew he was probably drunk, and was hesitant to call him, but she found herself dialing the number anyway.

"'ello?" he answered.

"Hey," she sighed, falling onto her mattress. "You're drunk, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say that…more like having a really good buzz," he plopped on to the couch. "I just got in."

"Have fun?" she was trying to make conversation.

"It was alright," he shrugged. "It would have been better with you there," he blurted. Damn the tongue-loosening effects of alcohol.

May tried to remain calm. He was definitely drunk. "You could have come trick-or-treating with us…"

Shannon sniggered, "The idea is to get candy put into the bag, not thrown in your general direction."

May laughed at the image he painted. She could see some old couple desperately throwing candies at the prince of punk to get him to leave them alone. "You should go to sleep," she finally managed.

"I know," he sighed. "What are you doing?"

May shook her head. There was no deterring him, "I'm about to change into some pjs and hit the sack. You?"

"I'm imagining the part where you're in between wearing clothes," he admitted shamelessly.

May's face instantly grew warm and her nipples hardened at his confession, "_Shannon,_" she scolded hoarsely.

"I was only joking," he lied.

"I really need to get some sleep," she hinted.

"Aw. C'mon, Alta May," he tried to cajole her into staying on the phone.

"Shannon-"

"Alright," he conceded, "I'll let you off the hook this time."

"What is that supposed to mean," she somehow felt offended. Let her off the hook for what?

"It means," he sat up on his couch, frustrated that she wasn't there with him, "that sooner or later, whether you like it or not, we're going to have to talk about it."

May was half-tempted to argue with him about what it is he thought they needed to discuss, but after the conversation with her sister, she couldn't do it. "I know," was all she could say, her voice cracking.

Shannon came to his senses at the sound of fear in her voice, "May," he sounded apologetic, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she sniffed, "you're right."

"No," he corrected, "I'm drunk and I'm being a jerk. I'll call you tomorrow when I'm a little more sober…if that's alright…"

May tried her best to sound as if every thing was fine, "Of course it's alright." She sighed after they said their goodbyes and hung up. She couldn't blame him for being upset. He'd admitted he wanted more than her friendship, but she still refused to do the same. She kept reminding him of her 'boundaries' but at the same time she kept giving him pieces of her only to take them away again. She felt like scum because she knew she was hurting him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alright, so there's chapter 7. Please review, and please forgive the typos or missing words, lol. It's hard to proofread your own work. :D Thanks again for all the support.


	8. Chapter 8

Shannon rolled out of bed with a glorious thud. Groaning, he untangled himself from the sheets of death. With a shake of his head, he groggily made it to his feet and headed toward the bathroom. He drank way too much last night and stayed up entirely too late. When he entered the kitchen and began to pour himself a bowl of cereal, he finally noticed the time. It was already almost two in the afternoon. Hadn't he told May he call her this morning? He couldn't remember most of their conversation…except for the part where he made a complete ass of himself. It was a good thing for him that she was so forgiving.

A knock at the door filled the empty rooms of the house just as Shannon was about to add milk to his lucky charms. "Coming," he called out as he crossed the living room to the door. He wasn't surprised to see Matt and Jeff standing on his porch. "What's up?" he asked as they walked in and headed for his beloved bag of cereal. _So much for not making another trip to the store…_

"Not much," Matt said as he poured the milk into the abandoned bowl of cereal. "I'm starving. Thanks for making breakfast, Shannon."

Shaking his head, Shannon grabbed two more bowls and spoons from the cabinet, "My pleasure," he said sarcastically.

"Just wake up?" Jeff asked with a smirk, gesturing toward the tye dye pajama pants. "What the hell are those?"

"Do you want your cereal or not?" Shannon asked annoyed, "Because I could always just eat yours too."

"You can eat _me_, too, while you're at it," Jeff challenged humorously taking on the Itchweed persona.

"Can't we all just get along?" Matt finally looked up from his food.

Shannon shook his head with a grin and thrust Jeff's bowl into his stomach, "Enjoy," he said as he then passed him the bag of Lucky Charms. When Shannon began to take his first bite, he stopped himself when he noticed his friends staring at him. Much to the chagrin of his stomach, he dropped his spoon back into the bowl. "What?"

The brothers exchanged a glance. Matt could see that his loving brother was going to pass the burden to him. As the older brother often had to, he shouldered the responsibility, "We did something."

Jeff leaned back against his chair at his brother's choice of words. _This should be good._

Shannon regarded them strangely, "What do you mean?"

"You know we're having a barb-be-que on Friday, right?" Matt felt around for the best approach in breaking the news of he and Jeff's prying into Shannon's private life earlier that day. It had all started innocently enough…as a joke, really. He hadn't actually expected Jeff to call her, and he sure as shit hadn't expected to her to accept the invitation. _Ah hell. _

"Yah, so?" Shannon finally took a bite of his cereal. It was only General Mills, but it tasted like ambrosia. He loved marshmallows. If only they'd make a marshmallow only Lucky Charms. He'd be a lard ass and loving it. He looked up at Matt and Jeff when neither of them continued to speak. "What does that have to do with anything? You guys calling it off?"

"No…" Jeff finally spoke.

"We just invited a few more people than usual," Matt offered.

"Well, one in particular," Jeff added.

This got Shannon's attention. "Who?" Maybe they had invited someone from TNA. He hadn't seen Jay in a while…or maybe it was Kurt. Nah…Then it hit him. "Who?" He demanded this time, already fearing he knew the answer and already wondering how they got the number.

"I think you know…" Matt concluded aloud. "We invited your friend, May."

Shannon felt a knot pit itself in his stomach. This was not in his plans. Bringing her out here to _party_ with their rowdy friends…it would be too much too soon. She'd probably black ball him for sure after this. Of course, he had invited her to the Halloween party…but only because he knew she'd refuse. If she would have accepted his invite, he simply would have skipped the party all together and taken her somewhere decent. "How…?" It was the only word he could manage.

Shannon appeared calm and collected on the outside, but Matt and Jeff knew him better than ever. When Shannon put on his straight face, that was when trouble was brewing. "Look, it wasn't intentional," Jeff offered, feeling the need to explain.

"We jokingly took the number off your phone last night…thought we'd use it as bait to get you riled up, but you left right after you came back from the bathroom," Matt slowly recalled the acquisition of May's number.

"This morning, we woke up and it was still on the table…" Jeff eased in.

"And I dared Jeff to call it-"

"You didn't do the Itchweed on her, did you?" Shannon cut him off.

"No!" Jeff assured, "I swear."

"I didn't think he'd actually do it," Matt threw in for his defense.

Jeff turned to him accusingly, "Since when do I not follow through on a dare?"

Matt looked off, "Yah…well…"

"Yah…" Jeff walked over to the fridge and grabbed a Powerade.

Shannon took a deep breath and then slowly, quietly exhaled. He then turned to Jeff, "What did you guys say to her to get her to come?"

Jeff shrugged, "I don't know. I just started talking to her about that night in the bar and asked her if she wanted to come to a pre-Japan tour bar-be-que. When she called back an hour later, she said she'd be catching the next flight out."

"What time was that?" Shannon asked.

"About ten," Matt answered. It was no small secret that Jeff paid little attention to time. "Did she call you? We were kind of hoping she would, but judging by your PJ's…"

Shannon grimaced as he crossed the kitchen into the living room and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. There was, of course, one unheard message. He flipped it open and dialed his voicemail. He heard May's voice on the other end. She sounded a bit hesitant as she spoke, 'Shannon…hey…um…your friends invited me to their bar-be-que on Friday, and I don't really have anything better to do so…uh…My flight leaves in a couple hours…I should be in Raleigh around four on flight 145. Anyway, I was wondering if you would mind picking me up if you get this in time…if it's not any trouble…and taking me to a motel. Um…just call me back whenever you can.' Her voice ended with the sound of a click. "Shit," he spoke aloud.

"C'mon, man," Jeff shrugged, "it's not that bad, is it?"

"Yah," Matt cut in. "You like her, right? I mean, this is a _good_ thing."

Shannon let out a breath. He did want to see her. It had only been a few days, but he missed her. The problem with bringing her here, however, was that he was afraid he'd scare her off. He knew all too well that women weren't always receptive to parties and extremely horrid male antics. This bar-be-que was going to be a stage for both of those things. "I'm gonna get dressed and go pick her up," he said finally.

Matt and Jeff realized that as their cue to get out of dodge. "Right on…" Matt conceded, patting Shannon on the back.

"You alright?" Jeff asked as he and Matt stepped out onto the porch.

"I'm fine," he nodded. "_We're_ fine." When the two started walking back toward Matt's car, Shannon closed the door and headed for the shower. If he was going to make it to the Raleigh air port in time, he'd need to hurry up.

XXXXXXX

May was in the middle of wondering what the hell she had been thinking by making this flight to North Carolina when a flight attendant's voice was heard of the loud speaker, telling them they'd be touching down in about ten minutes. She closed her eyes…it was too late now. She had to go through with it. Even if she could some how, by the skin of her teeth, catch a flight back to Connecticut, she was too mentally exhausted to even think about it, let alone stand in line long enough to actually do it.

She'd worried the whole way here about whether or not Shannon got her message. If he did, she wondered why he never bothered to call her back. Furthermore, she was apprehensive about this cookout she was attending. Who else would be there? Would she know anyone besides Shannon and the Hardy Boys? Would there be a lot of drinking? The questions were still swimming around in her mind by the time the plane landed and the pilot announced that it was okay for everyone to exit the plane.

When May finally made it past the gate, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Shannon looking directly at her. They were a good distance away, but she could make out ever angle of his face…could see clearly the apprehension in his unusually crystalline eyes. She wondered what had caused it as she found herself moving in his direction. Why had she let Janette talk her into this?

Flashback

"Who knows?" Janette smiled, "You may even have some fun."

"You don't actually expect me to tell them I'm coming, do you?" May was quite annoyed. She had only shared the news of the invitation because she figured if anyone could see the reasons why she _shouldn't_ attend, it would be Janette. Obviously, she had been mistaken.

"Of course I expect you to go," Janette confirmed her position on the subject. "It'll do you some good. You need to get out there and let yourself go for a change."

May shook her head, already feeling her resolve caving. She wanted to go if for nothing else but to see him, and they both knew it. "Why can't you support me in my wrong decisions like a big sister is supposed to?"

"Because," Janette said bitterly, "That role has always belonged to our mother…not me."

End Flashback

And now here she was, walking toward a big mistake in the making. "Hi," she said barely above a whisper when she was only a few feet in front of him. His gaze swept over her a bit more slowly than what was appropriate for 'friends,' causing her stomach to turn over. She could feel herself becoming more vulnerable by the second.

"Hey," he said once he was finished blatantly checking her out. He couldn't help himself. She was wearing a pair of low cut jeans and a Pink Ladies hoodie and her dark hair was loose around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing any makeup and even the faint circles under eyes seemed attractive to him. Besides, she especially sexy when she was as skittish as she was at that moment. He smiled when he noticed her blush and leaned forward, pulling her into a hug. "How was your flight?" He breathed into her hair.

"Good," she swallowed the lump in her throat. May fought back tears as his embrace triggered the realization of her own loneliness. She felt part of herself leaving with him as he released her, and quickly turned her head toward the direction of the luggage area. "I better go get my things," she said quickly before making a bee line, Shannon following closely behind. Luckily, she was able to push her emotions aside before he caught up.

"Which one's yours?" he asked, coming up beside her.

"The pink plaid one," she pointed in its direction, "with the daisies on it." She had the luggage custom designed once she got the job with WWE so it would be easy to pick out from everyone else's. It had been a bit expensive, but it was worth it in the end. She was never confused when her bags came around.

Shannon grabbed the ultra feminine luggage from the conveyer belt, "What the hell?" he asked jokingly.

May proudly squared her shoulders, "It was easy to spot, wasn't it?"

"I see…" he'd give her credit. "Not a bad idea."

"So…" she started with him toward the door. "What kind of motels do they have around here?"

"Their all pretty nice, except for the Motel 6," Shannon tugged her in the direction of where he parked. "It's this way."

"Oh." May followed him until they came upon his Hummer. "I was thinking the Days Inn didn't look too bad on the internet." She'd never ridden in this thing with him before, but she had a feeling she was in for the fright of her life. Especially knowing how he drove the little rental cars around. She immediately fastened her seatbelt once they were inside, praying they made it to the motel in one piece.

"Nothing ever looks bad on the internet," Shannon pointed out before noticing the pallor color of her face, "Scared?"

May blushed, "Well, _you_ know how you drive."

"That I do," he agreed. "Let's see if we can't get there alive, eh?"

May pursed her lip as they made their way from the airport, and then speedily down the freeway toward what May hoped was a nice hotel where she could take a hot shower. She curiously watched as they passed the Days Inn, Motel 6, Holiday Inn, and several more hotels. _I guess there are some closer to where they live._ Eventually she stopped paying attention to the road and wondering about Shannon's quietness, and fell into a light sleep. When Shannon woke her up, she noticed they were parked in front of a house and May shot up in confusion, "Where are we?"

Shannon looked over at her as he opened his door, "Home."

She blinked, unmoving, "You mean…_your_ home?" Her voice was a nervous squeak.

He raised an eye brow as if to say 'duh', "Yah. _My_ home."

May sat still as he shut his door and came around to her side. She thought she had been headed for a motel. What were they doing here? When he opened the door, Shannon noticed that she was still buckled in, sitting still. "May?"

She looked up, finally coming to reality, "Huh?"

"You coming?"

She blinked again, trying to force down her panic, and succeeding for a change, "Yah, I uh…I just thought we were going to a hotel first, that's all." She undid her seat belt and hopped down from the massive vehicle.

Shannon shut the door behind her and followed her to the door, thankful that the place was actually clean for a change. "Thought I'd show off the place to you first. I'm really proud of it, but I don't get a lot of visitors out here." He explained _part_ of the reason he brought her there instead of the Days Inn.

"Oh," she said quietly, following him inside. She had to admit, she was impressed. She had half expected to see holes in the walls, bottles on the floor, and all the other things associated with a bachelor pad. To her surprise, however, Shannon's house was actually quite clean. It needed to be vacuumed and there were scarcely any pictures on the wall, but it was definitely not the pigsty she had been anticipating. Although, it did seem a little empty. Such a big house out to have something to fill it.

They both turned their heads to the sound of barking coming from upstairs. "It's Oz," he smiled. "He probably shut himself in one of the rooms again." He began to climb the stairs, "C'mon up," he smiled. "Unless you're afraid of dogs…?"

May shook her head, "Oh no. I love dogs." She followed him up the stairs, and down the hall toward the source of the barking and scratching, "What kind is he?"

"Pit," he said, before opening the door and freeing a bumbling ball of black and white fur. "He won't bite."

May knelt down to the energetic mass that was enthusiastically sniffing at her feet. She held her hand for the Oz's inspection, scratching him behind the ears once he gave her the okay by licking her fingers. "He's a friendly little fella, isn't he?"

"Yah," he grinned mischievously, "Just like his daddy."

May blushed at his comment and quickly changed the subject, "So," she cleared her throat as she stood, "I've seen the stairs, and the hallway. What does the rest of the place look like?"

Shannon shrugged and opened the door that Oz had just come bustling out of, "This is the biggest bathroom," he moved aside so she could peek inside the room. She gave her approval, and they moved on the rest of the rooms until they reached the door nearest the stairs. "And," he grinned as he opened the final door, "This is my room." The sheet that had been entangled about him earlier that day was now on the bed underneath the blanket, made to perfection. He had cleaned it up, along with the rest of the house, before driving out to pick her up.

May looked inside to see black covers and pillows covering the king size bed and a dresser on the far wall. "Wow," she said in pity. "This poor room. It's practically empty."

"I know," Shannon sighed. "Along with the rest of the house, huh?"

"You could definitely use a few pictures…and maybe a nightstand…" she went through a list of suggestions.

"If that's your way of saying the place needs a woman's touch," he flashed a devilish grin, "then I'd have to agree." He took a step closer to her, nearly closing the distance between them. "In fact," his voice was a low rasp, "I bet _you've_ got the magic touch."

May could hear her heart pounding in her ears and wondered if he could as well. She tried fighting down the urge to reach out and see just how magical touching him would be, but she lost the inner battle. Hell, perhaps she would lose the war as well. He hadn't touched her. In fact, he was doing all he promised and leaving it up to her to cross the line. The lines she herself had drawn. Biting her bottom lip, she watched as he closed his eyes when her trembling fingers grazed his cheek. His forehead came to lean down on hers and she found herself closing her eyes as well, her hand resting on his shoulder as his arm made its way around her waist.

He let out a breath, "May-"

A knock on the door caused her to jump.

XXXX

May stared up at the ceiling from where she lay. She absently patted the lump of fur snoring beside her. Oz had decided to join her about an hour ago. She had yet to drift off into the bliss that was sleep. Her thought were running rampant over the events of the day and how she had come to be sleeping in Shannon's house with his dog.

XEarlierX

"Don't move," Shannon whispered against her lips. "Please."

May didn't respond, for she completely lacked the ability to even think straight. Instead, she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of his closeness leave her. Her mind searched frantically for a way to escape. Finally, she settled on the bathroom at the end of the hall, Oz following close behind. She scooped him up and took him with her.

Downstairs, Shannon heard a door shut and knew that the moment they had been sharing would not easily be recaptured. Damn…she'd been so close to trusting him. He had felt her walls crumbling, and now…now she was no doubt working steadily to build them back up again.

He opened the door begrudgingly to find none other than Andrew at his doorstep. "What's up, man?" Shannon asked, subduing the urge to strangle the man before him.

"Not much. I heard you were bringing home a girl, and I thought I'd-"

"Now's not really a good time," Shannon's patience was dwindling. Why did everyone think they had a right to know his personal business?

"Oh, I see," Andrew winked mischievously.

"No, you don't see," Shannon corrected. "It's just really not a good time. She just laid down to rest…she said the flight exhausted her."

"Oh," Andrew nodded. "Alright, well I'll see tomorrow and let you get back to it."

Shannon gritted his teeth, and forced himself not to slam the door. Sometimes, he just wanted to beat the living hell out of that guy. His friends were beginning to get as bad as the damned paparazzi. They were meddling where they didn't belong, and now one of them had just tried to sneak a peek.

Shannon's stomach growled. It was already six and he was starving. "May," he called as he climbed the stairs, "You feel like fajitas?"

An hour later, May found herself in Shannon's kitchen pulling two clean plates out of the dishwasher, "I had no idea you knew how to cook."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Shannon smiled.

"Yah, well," May handed him a plate, "That works two ways."

Shannon grinned as he placed tortillas on their plates and piled them with grilled chicken, vegetables, and peppers, "Then why don't we play twenty questions?"

May thought it over as they took their seats beside one another at the table. Finally she shrugged, "Okay, but nothing too personal."

"Oh no you don't," he laughed. "This is no-holds barred, my friend. Anything goes."

May rolled her eyes. "Alright fine," she gave in, "but I get to go first. Blondes, brunettes, or red-heads?"

Shannon grinned, "Don't be ridiculous. You know I only have eyes for you." At her blush, he asked his first question, "Are you a virgin or a loose woman?"

May's mouth dropped, much to Shannon's amusement, "Neither." She slapped him playfully on the arm, "I'm not a virgin, but I'm hardly a loose woman! Your turn, mister." She turned to face him, "How big of a slut are you?"

Shannon's eyebrows went up. He hadn't expected her to react with boldness, "Eight."

"Liar."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he retorted. "You?"

"Two."

"Ouch. I really am a slut," he grinned.

"Nah," she let it go. The game continued and both of them had fun discovering each other's dirty laundry. Twenty questions turned into thirty and thirty into forty until they lost count in all the friendly banter. When May noticed that it was already after ten, she decided it was time for the game to come to an end and for him to take her to a hotel before the last decent ones closed their desks.

"Final question," May declared, "because it's getting late."

"Okay," Shannon looked at the clock. "It's your turn."

"Why did you bring me here before taking me to a hotel?" She asked seriously.

Looking her over, Shannon decided he would tell her the truth, "I was hoping you'd stay here instead."

May felt her throat close. She wanted to open her mouth and ask him what on earth he had been thinking and just what his intentions were, but he answered her questions before she could even put them into audible sounds.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that," he looked at her expression of disbelief and accusation, and then shrugged. "Okay, so maybe it's a little like what you're thinking, but not completely." Shannon let out a sigh and then relaxed against the back of his chair, "I just wanted the opportunity for us to get to know each other better and since hotels are like hide outs for you when it comes to me, I figured I'd deprive you of them for a day."

"I don't hide from you," May lied. She met his eyes and knew she hadn't convinced him. "Okay, so maybe I hide out a _little_ bit, but I have my reasons." She looked again at the clock, "So, are you going to be a gentleman and take me to a hotel now or are you going to hold me hostage all night?"

Shannon smiled, "You know I'd never hold you hostage." He sat up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "The real question here is, are you going to keep me company tonight and watch a movie or are you going to make me drive you to a hotel where you'll have to pay for a bed tonight and breakfast in the morning."

May let out a weary breath, and began to try and reason with him, "Shannon-"

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me," Shannon said directly, "not that I'd mind…" He grinned at her blush, "But I am inviting you stay. I've got a few guest rooms, and I'll even let you pick your favorite one. If you don't want to, I'll drive you to a hotel right now and you can fork out the dough. Whatever you want to do…"

May drew in a calming breath before meeting his gaze. He was sincere, and she knew that. She also knew that she could trust him and his intentions. If she chose to leave now, he'd drive her…with a smile. Likewise, if she stayed, he would be a gentleman and refrain from making any advances. However, could May trust herself? Could _she_ refrain from touching him…kissing him…following him to his bed? The answer was out of her reach and so she cast it aside. It was late. She didn't feel like taking a ride, and she doubted that he felt like giving one. May let out a sigh, "What kind of movies do you have?"

Shannon grinned, "Mostly slasher, but if you're up for a chick flick there's always pay per view."

End flashback

May stirred from her musing when she heard a door shut from down the hall. Shannon was still awake then. At the sound of a toilet flushing and a door opening again, May tucked her head further beneath her covers. "Oz…" she heard him call softly for the dog that lay beside her. Oz perked his ears and raised his head at the sound of his master's voice. Deciding against leaving his comfortable spot, however, Oz lowered his head as if to say, 'Screw off. I'm tired.'

Without giving it much thought, May called out softly to Shannon, "He's in here." _Damn you, dog. You're doing this to me on purpose._ Shannon's silhouette appeared in the doorway shortly. May had left it open after letting Oz in, for she couldn't stand hearing him scratch at her door.

"Sorry if I woke you," Shannon apologized, his voice almost a whisper. There was something about being in a quiet house at two in the morning that made a person want to speak softly.

"It's okay," May replied, her voice also soft. "I wasn't asleep."

Shannon could make out Oz's figure lying cozily beside May. He suddenly envied his dog. _Oz, you lucky bastard._ "I'll get him out of your way if he's keeping you from sleeping. He moves around a lot."

"That's alright," May absently scratched behind the dog's ears. "He's fine. My mind just won't slow down, that's all."

"I know what you mean," Shannon yawned.

"Well-"

"You know, I can't help but feel a little jealous," he admitted.

May tilted her head to one side, "Of what?"

"Of that damn dog," Shannon grinned, taking a few steps into the room. "He always gets all the attention."

May chuckled softly, "He can't help it if he's cuter than you."

He grinned back, gesturing toward the bed, "May I sit down?"

"Um," May shrugged nervously, "sure," her voice a shaky whisper.

Shannon took a seat at the edge opposite May. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Oh," May looked off. "I don't know."

"Are you alright," Shannon could sense her uneasiness.

"I'm fine," May lied.

"Am I too close?" Shannon asked, getting ready to stand, "Do you want me to go?"

"No," May blurted before thinking. "I mean, it's your house. I can hardly kick you out of one of your own rooms."

"It may be my house, but this room is yours for now," Shannon stood, "and you kick out whoever you want."

May smiled at his thoughtfulness, "It's not that."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shannon sat back down.

"What…" she sat up a little more, "you mean talk about _it…about us_?"

Shannon found her hand and tugged her closer, scooting Oz out of the way in the process, "Mmm hmmm. I told you we'd have to sooner or later. Why not now?"

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Tune in next time to see what happens next. I meant to write more, but I've got to get going. Please review and forgive me for the typos and what not.


	9. Chapter 9

_Talk? He wants to talk?_ "It's a little late…" she tried to squeak out the only sensible reason. Hadn't she just stated that she couldn't sleep? She couldn't think straight when he was so close. The glow of the light from the hall cast a flattering shadow over his muscular frame. She could see the reserved determination in the depths of his olive orbs. She could feel him taking seize to this private opportunity to get inside her head, and it unnerved her completely. She wanted to look away, but instead her eyes ended up focusing on his lips. The same lips that had kissed her earlier that day. As the memory returned of those precious little moments where her sanity had lapsed, she could once again feel the imprints of his lips burning against her own. She quickly snapped her attention back to his eyes, hoping that her blush wasn't visible in the shadows of the room. The longer she gazed into those inviting orbs, the more she felt inclined to tell him every intricate detail of her life up until this very moment, even the moments that hurt. For, she almost felt strong enough to relive it when he was so near…almost.

"May?" Shannon's voice held the questions May had so carefully avoided. The questions to which she had no answers and all answers at the same time. The questions that had been keeping her awake every night since the first time he kissed her: Why? Why are you fighting? Why are you running? Why?

"I don't know…" was all she could manage, for she truly didn't understand her own reservations. "It's just that I don't know how…"

Shannon regarded her strangely. He knew she had issues. All her attempts to keep him at bay, to keep him from even so much as holding her hand was evidence of that. He didn't completely comprehend his own fascination for needing to know everything about her or wanting to help her, but all he knew was that he wanted to try. Hell, he wanted her. "What do you mean?"

May let out a sigh as she tried to think of the best way to put her thoughts into coherent sentences. She'd only known this man less than two months and even though she felt she could trust him, she couldn't get over that. Only recently had she begun to trust her own brother-in-law, and he had been married to her sister for years. What did she really know about Shannon? Sure, they could play twenty questions all day, every day, but that still wouldn't tell her what she needed to know. Questions are only questions…Putting good faith in someone who has never actually _shown_ trustworthiness was dangerous, and May always liked to stay on the safe side. Furrowing her brow she though, _That's what got me into this mess. Taking a chance on the beach…being impulsive. _What were impulses trying to tell her now? It took her a long time to think it over as Shannon waited patiently for her to explain. Finally, she decided to tell him how she felt, and in the only words that would come, "I haven't always loved my sister. We didn't have the greatest life as children, and we often competed for the smallest things and the tiniest inklings of affection from our parents. It took us years to figure out that we had only turn to each other for support. That no matter how we tried, some battles couldn't be won. When she had her first child, Chelsea, I couldn't understand how I could love a perfect stranger so fully, but I did. It was the same Josh, her youngest."

"The cat and Frankenstein, right?" Shannon smiled, despite the unseen waves of trepidation that radiated from her soft spoken words.

"Right," she smiled briefly, remembering Halloween.

"So…what do they…?"

"The point is," she licked her lips. She might as well be blunt. "Shannon, the love I feel for that part of my family is different. I can love them without even trying to figure out how to show them I care. It just came naturally, but…" She looked away, unable to look at him as she spoke her next sentence, "but loving my family and loving another person are two entirely different things. I don't know what you're looking for or what you want from me, Shannon, but I can guarantee you that if it's more than friendship or sex; you won't be able to find it here. I don't think I could ever really love anyone like that. I wouldn't know how."

If that was supposed to shock him, it certainly did. He didn't remember ever asking her anything about love for asking her to sleep with him…not that he'd mind, but he didn't want a bed-buddy and he certainly wasn't looking for love…was he? Why _did_ he feel compelled to get closer to her? He found her eyes again…he could see their azure depths even in the darkness of the room. He knew she was waiting on him to respond, and he suddenly wanted to tell her that her notions were illogical, but his train of thought fled for a moment when he spoke, "Why is it that you're always at your best during the wee hours of the morning?"

May did a visible double-take. That was not at all what she had been expecting, "Wh-"

He smiled slightly, captivated by the way her hair fell around her face and how the shadows fell around her like a haze. She looked absolutely lovely to him, and he didn't regain his good sense until it was too late and his lips had met with hers. She was stiff at first, as they had been earlier that day. Memories of their brief interlude had been what kept him from sleeping. Slowly, she began to relax against his mouth, and even returned his menstruations, giving him just as much he gave her.

May couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. All she could do was feel…and oh, how wonderful it felt. She heard the sound of a shirt ripping, and when he took her breast into his mouth, she let out a blissful whimper. His tongue encircled her nipple in slow seductive circles. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers into his hair. He was so warm, and having him so near gave her a comfort she had never known before. Her only goal was to have him as close to her as humanly possible. The fear was gone when he held her…kissed her. As she pulled his shirt over his head, she wondered if they made love right now would the fear leave forever. Love…

This couldn't happen. She didn't love him……did she? "Shannon," her voice was husky and breathless from his kisses.

Shannon felt her go still, and pulled away immediately. He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up on top of her with a breast in his mouth, but he was pretty damn sure he wasn't the only one that had been enjoying it. He met her gaze, his eyes afire with a promise of passion. "Sorry," he managed to lie convincingly as he regretfully pulled the two halves of her shirt back together.

"Don't be," her voice shook as she clutched the material.

Shannon began to move from atop her, when a shy hand on his bicep stayed him. She looked as shocked as he felt. What was she playing at? "Alta May…" he half growled in voice ripe with need. "If you're intending to stop, then you might want to let me get up-"

His sentence was cut off when she flipped him over on his back. He looked up at her in astonishment. "What the hell…?" She silenced him with a harsh kiss, for she had decided to do at least one reckless thing a month, and damn it all…she wanted him. She felt him hesitate for half a second, before he finally touched her. The feel of his strong hands caressing her skin, sent waves of pleasure straight to her core. She was faintly aware of losing her tattered shirt and her underwear, for she had just as eagerly removed the confines of clothing from Shannon.

"Alta May," he voice was a husky whisper against her ear. A wonderful to which she could barely hear, let alone respond to. "I…" Shannon knew what he had been about to say the moment the thought entered his mind, but he couldn't say it here or now. He inwardly sighed in relief that he'd stopped himself in time, but when she took him into her hands, all thinking came to a halt. All he could hear in the back of his mind was a soft chant coming somewhere from within his chest, _I love you, Alta May. I love you so much._

The only thing she was aware of as their bodies joined, was that she never wanted to be without him again. She no longer wanted to pretend she could walk away from the understanding he offered. He made her feel things that she thought would always be foreign to her. She'd only ever used the term 'making love,' but the tenderness and the pleasure he showed her in the act, defined the phrase for her and gave it new meaning. As the waves of climax washed over her for the first time, she sputtered incoherent words. She now yearned to know what it was to love someone. She wanted to love him. She wanted him to teach her how.

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Okay…only 3 pages, but I figured you needed something to let you know that I haven't given up. :D If there are typos, don't worry. This chapter isn't finished, and I'll be re-uploading it as soon as it is. This is just a preview. :D


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